A Bloody Game
by LoveIsBlindness
Summary: The Capitol had always wanted to watch a bloody game with more twists thrown in. So, this Games turns the Tributes' lives upside down. Whose blood is going to be spilled? Whose body is going to be torn apart? Whose body is not coming home in a coffin?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

All across the country, Panem, there are millions of grey boxed TVs flickering to life. The dirty screens show the stage under dancing lights, the stage that they had seen for years and years, the stage with the red sofa where Tributes sat on to try and impress the Capitol. Sitting in front of the tiny TVs are the poor families of the districts, clutching at each others, fear rising in the air around them. The parents of the children grip their kids tightly, as if they think of the new cursed fate awaiting for the new Tributes. The thoughts of losing their children to the horrifying Games is just unbearable, but they had no choice. Waiting for the President to appear onto the stage, the families clamp together to support each other.

Finally, the loud roaring of the wealthy Capitol citizens in the crowds greet the rather short President. Merging from the dark doorway is President Black, dressed in a smart striped suit with squeaky clean leather shoes. His small frame walks towards the red seat, he briefly nods at the applaud, a blank expression on his firm face. This strangely quiet President has cropped black hair and dark brown eyes that sometimes look black if he is angry, there is nothing dyed or fashionable on him. As he gently sits down, the audience quieten down slowly, they all watch curiously at the man who brushes off invisible dust on his tie. He turns to the camera, not even bothering to smile.

"Hello citizens of Panem!" His voice bellows across the large room, the loud audience quieten down abruptly. A small smile flashes onto President Black's pale face but it disappears as quickly as it came. He starts on the speech he must have memorized to the core of his heart.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we all know that the Quarter Quell is near. This 275th Hunger Games is the seventh Quarter Quell, and what is the new twist going to be? The last six Quells were so different and quite exciting but we need a change don't we?" There are murmurs of agreement in the audience. "Let me just go over why the Hunger Games started. 275 years ago the rebels from the districts attacked the Capitol, despite our good treatment to them they began a war against us. But they lost because the Capitol is always too strong for the districts, the citizens of the districts will be forever under our control because we are too powerful. For their punishment, the first President created the Hunger Games and the Quarter Quell which happened each twenty-five years."

President Black slowly studied the faces of the audience who are listening intensely.

"Now, shall we find out what the new twist is going to be in this Quarter Quell?" He is answered by million of cheers; both from inside the house and outside on the streets.

Suddenly, a golden-haired boy walked out onto the stage, he is carrying a wooden polished box, he stops next to Black. With a silver key, the boy in white opens the box to reveal many small envelopes. The President smiles and slowly picks up one of them, he stares at it with frightening greed in his eyes. The audience are on the edge of their seats, leaning forward as the President slowly opens the envelope. He takes out a milky coloured paper and his eyes widen at the words on it, the room is in a tense silence, the Capitol citizens fiddle as they wait for their President to read out.

"Oh, what a surprise!" He finally says, his pursed lips stretches into a grin at the whipsering in the crowds. "As a reminder to the rebels for defting the Capitol, the arena will have no Cornucopia and the items will be hidden around the arena for the Tributes to find. So there is likely no bloodbath."

The President glances up at the roaring of rage and muttering in the crowds and silences them, "Everyone, listen to me! But just think about the amount of Tributes there would be at the end of the first day. This Games will be longer than ever and there will be more bloody deaths to watch. And the strongest, cleverest Tribute would win, even if they are not a Career. Just think about what a fun show this is going to be."

The audience quieten down, soon they all realise that his words and reasoning are right. "Also, let me just tell you something I shouldn't reveal. I had a meeting with the Head Gamesmaker, Lilac Hatch about the arena. And she had created a brilliant, unique one with strange mutts, the mutts that the Head Mutants creator had been working on for years. Trust me, the Arena is going to be nasty and this game is going to be very bloody."

The cameras zoom around the room to show the delighted, excited faces of the audience before watching President Black standing up and straightening his white tie. "Now, that is it for tonight, happy gaming everyone!"

President Black strides off stage with his squeaky shoes squealing on the polished floor, all of the cameras and lights focus on his disappearing figure. The audience is still screaming and shrieking with excitement when the TVs in the districts are turned off. In front of the dying TVs the families try to ignore the images of the new mutts that they will see soon.

* * *

**Author's Note:** So, I guess a few of you have noticed already that a ton of SYOTs had been deleted. And mine was amongst of them. And I felt rather upset to lose all of the lovely reviews- they boasted my confidence and now are gone.

But, thankfully, the chapters of A Bloody Game are still saved on my computer! However, I won't be publishing all of the chapters, because I know most of you have already read them and just want to get to the Games. I hope you are not disappointed and understand my situation. So, what I'm going to do is start to update the chapters of A Bloody Game from the interview chapter, then it will just go on after that. So, if you still haven't read the training days or the Gamemakers meeting, just PM me for questions or if you want to read them J

One last thing, I have plenty of excuses for why I'm so late. First, I had exams…and well they went _alright_, just not the way I wanted them to go, so I felt quite depressed this month because of them. Then Fanfiction or the Critic's United deleted two of my stories without a warning.

To Fanfiction and Critic's United- this isn't against the rules now, because I already got the Tributes. Still not happy, well tough, I will never give up on this story. I have too many plans for it!


	2. Interview

**The Interview**

* * *

**District One**

_**Shine Parkhill's **_**POV**

"I still don't believe it…"

Absently, I roll my eyes. Gemma catches glimpse of my eyes rolling and she scowls unhappily. Folding her willowy arms across her bust, she takes on that moody attitude of hers.

But I have to say, I find her damn sexy when she is moody…

Gemma huffs out an exasperated sigh. "How did _Gilead_ get a _ten_? He never laid his hands onto any kind of weapon in the Training Room! I thought he was a softie to do that… Do you think he is hiding something from us? Do you think he is stronger and more ruthless than we thought him to be? What if he will…turn onto us? _How_ did he get that Score?"

"My darling, I have no idea," I sigh theatrically, allowing my shoulders to lift up and down in a careless shrug.

"There must be something he is _so_ good at to earn that Score… But what could it be? What is he good at? What is his weapon… Why is he hiding from us? There's definitely something up with him and Lianna… They are _too_ close… How can we get to know what is Gilead's strength now?" Gemma repeats the final sentence a couple more times. She swallows and unfolds her arms, leaning against the doorframe of my bedroom.

"If you don't trust him…you can always kill him."

Gemma snaps her head back towards me, her eyes with malice. "I would _love_ to kill him. But I don't know what is his weapon… It could be a spear…a mace…a club… Something that can kill me in seconds flat… Also, not to forget, he is like a giant. He is bigger than me… So how can I just kill him? And wouldn't that infuriate Lianna?"

"Lianna? Oh, she's harmless." I can't help but chuckle to myself at the mention of Lianna. _Sure, she's a sweetheart, but can she survive Gemma? Of course not._

"But…she can stab my back any second… She can slit my throat at night…" Gemma pauses, her eyes dazing into that foggy mode. Her face pales. "Shine…you're the only one I can trust now."

My eyes land onto hers. _Is she telling the truth? Or is she playing with me? Is that a game of hers? _However, despite my pestering thoughts that are plastered across my mind, I smile warmly at her. She is just an insecure girl. One who doesn't know how to trust people… But is this just some act? This Gemma, the one I have come to know well over the past few days, is unpredictable. One time she is a total bitch, spurting out cruel words at others, the next she is all insecure and worried about where the loyalties of others lie in her.

Is this all an act?

I roughly shove away the thoughts. "Gemma, you can trust me…like I trust you. We are a team, remember. And, don't worry about Gilead, I don't think he has the stomach to kill you."

She stares at me. A smile slowly splits across her pretty face. "You _trust_ me?"

I blink, taken aback. _Did I say that?_ Well, I guess I did… Wow, I'm becoming as unpredictable as she is. Well…that was just a few words. If she is playing with me, then I can play with her as well.

"Kiddies, what are you two doing in here! You know you are supposed to be preparing yourselves for the interviews with…_me_!"

We both immediately jump at the sudden voice. I crane my neck towards the open doorway, standing there is our escort, Leaves. She is peering around the room with that pretty much disdainful look. _Guess she doesn't like how messy I am._

"Sorry, but I don't know what you are on about…" Gemma sighs exasperatedly. "Why do we have to prepare _now_? The interview is hours later."

"No, buttercup, you two have to prepare… And I'm not speaking of clothes but of how to present yourselves. I mean, look at you, Gem, you really need to tone in with that attitude of yours…"

She automatically falls silent once Gemma gives her deadly glares. For a second, it looks like Gemma is about to butcher Leaves to death due to the hatred glowing inside her blue eyes. Leaves gulps prominently, waiting for someone to casually start up a new topic of conservation.

"Oh, Gemma, calm down, darling. She was just kidding, were you?" I ask directly to Leaves, who nods viciously, flickering her eyes warily away from Gemma. "Anyway, so where are we going to learn how to…present ourselves?"

Suddenly, Leaves' whole frightened demeanour falls and is replaced by her usual, bubbly self. She skips towards me, grinning from ear to ear. "You, my dear, don't need to learn anything. You got a perfect persona. So I don't want to change a thing about your attitude. All you have to do is act yourself."

"So…my angle is to be me. Sure, that is something I can easily do," I say with a flirty wink addressed at her. She blushes to a bright shade of crimson.

"But what about me? What is my angle supposed to be?" Gemma demands, her clenched fists on her hips.

Leaves swallows nervously. "Oh, be yourself! Everybody will love you…because you are the leader of the Careers."

"How would the audience know I'm the leader? The Games hasn't started."

"Ooh…well, they would love your…feisty attitude. Oh and, just slip in a sob story to win some soft hearts" Leaves giggles and flashes a solemn Gemma a grin. Gemma rises an eyebrow. "You know what, you two don't need a lesson! Just be yourselves!"

With that, she flees from the room, her high-heels clanking on the floor. Gemma and I exchange a smirk. She sighs and flops down onto my messy bed.

"She's scared of us," she laughs.

"No, she is scared of you," I comment. She sends me a smug smirk, obviously she likes to scare people… I lamely glance around the room with weary eyes. "What should we do now?"

"Oh, nothing! Just eat and sleep…and talk," Gemma purrs. I chuckle a little to myself at her transformation into a flirty gal. I can definitely enjoy this with her…

She sighs sleepily, stretching her arms wide above her. I can't help myself but stare, unblinking, at the glittering jewels on her face. They glisten and reflect the sunlight that flows into the expanse room. They look _alright_ on her. She would look a lot more attractive without them, and it's my fault. Well, it's not entirely my fault! My stupid stylist went off to do the implants on Gemma, because I wouldn't let him do them on me. I mean, the jewels would have ruined my face!

"What are you looking at?"

I wildly blink, recognising that Gemma is staring back at me, her azure eyes glowing with suspicion. My lips widen into a cheeky grin of mine. "Oh you, of course."

"No. It's my face and the ridiculous _gems_ on my face," she snarls under her breath, cursing as she faintly brushes her finger-tips over the crystals. "God, that stylist is a _bitch_."

Before stopping myself, I laugh. "It's a he. So, I think you mean 'Son of a bitch'."

"Whatever," Gemma laughs, joining in with me. As our laughter increase, I decide to sit down next to her. I take a long stride towards her, slumping down beside her. Once I lay back against the soft pillows, she lashes out her hand, grabbing hold of my arm and tugging me nearer to her. "Come closer."

I rise my eyebrows, my lips twitching into a crooked grin. She is definitely in a seductive mood today! Without asking, I budge up nearer until my legs rub against her bare legs. She smiles at me, but her smile doesn't fully reach her eyes. I swallow, glancing down at her outfit. She is wearing an incredibly short mini-skirt with her bronze legs exposed, and a tight red tank-top which makes her breasts look like they are about to practically fall out. _God, she is so sexy!_

"Shine, may I ask- do you have a girlfriend?" she asks in a purring voice. A smile playing with her full-lips.

My entire outward demeanour nearly collapse as she says the word: girlfriend. Esme… My thoughts immediately drift off to home, to District One. I bet it's as sunny and bright as ever there, with people celebrating the Hunger Games, either cheering me and Gemma on or hoping we die because we took on the contenders they wanted to go in at the Reaping. How is Esme now? Is she thinking about me? Is she cheering me on? She has to…if she doesn't then I have no hope in my life. The vivid memory of her screams at the Reaping is drilled into my brain. The Justice Building, her tears wet on my cheeks…

"No. Well, I do have some _sort of_ girlfriends at home. But they are nothing compared to you," I lie. She giggles, relief crossing her eyes. _Shine, how could you say that. If Esme heard that, it would break her heart…_

"Good, because I don't want anybody to be jealous of me. You know what I mean… Well, actually, girls who fancy you would already be jealous of me… Anyway, who cares," Gemma whispers. "I'm bored; what shall we do?"

_Well, this is going to be a long, long day…_

* * *

**Interviewer**

_**Scarlett Yolanda's **_**POV**

"Scarlett Yolanda, there are exactly ten minutes until the spotlight begins."

I lets out another exhausted sigh, rolling my peach-coloured eyes. The man constantly keeps on and on at me each passing minute. What men need to learn is that women need hours to prepare themselves for special events.

And this event is the most important event ever in my entire life.

I'm going to interview the twenty-four Tributes for the Games for the first time… _Gee, I can't wait!_

Despite my pleasant demeanour, inside my head, I'm panicking, because of Black's threat. When he suggested- well, more like commanded- me to become the new interviewer two days after the old interviewer's death, he also threatened me. He said to me, "If you fail epically, then be prepared for your execution. You must not screw up like the previous interviewer."

Right then, I knew that the previous interviewer was killed…by the President's guards. But why? He was brilliant at interviewing the Tributes. He was engaging and exciting. He had a great fashion sense. He was Caesar Flickerman's son, and Caesar was the best interviewer alive. How did his inevitable death got anything to do with the interviews?

Someone once said to me when I was only five years old, "Never mess with the President of Panem. He/she can do anything they want with you if you side with the Districts. You mustn't disobey them. You mustn't fire up a rebellion, because the President always get what they want… Just don't do anything stupid."

The person who told me was my own mother… And she disappeared two weeks after she told me that. I never saw her again.

I often ask my father where she is, and he would reply, "She never loved us. She betrayed us. She is gone because she deserves it."

It puzzles me how my father immediately hated my mother after she disappeared. Does he know something? Was she a rebel? And how could he say that? Did somebody important told him to say that to everybody he loved?

"Scarlett Yolanda, you have exactly five minutes left. Now is time to leave," the gruff, solemn voice growls once again, penetrating through my thoughts. I crane my neck around and give him a cold look.

"I still need to put on make-up! I can't go out _like_ this!" I shriek, nervous that he is actually serious. How can I go out without make-up? If anybody say that they had seen me without make-up, then their lying with their pants on fire.

He returns my cold look with a scowl. "Do you really want to have a little _visit_ with Black?"

And that immediately shut me up. My lips twitch with displeasure. I've never liked it whenever somebody get their own way. Yes, I'm kind of a spoilt brat; I grew up in a rich family with my father as one of the Gamemakers. His name is Ambrose, and he is the Head of the Mutation Department.

"Follow me and put the make-up on as we get to the stage," I bluntly order my prep team. They all break into rapid nods and let out an unison of 'Yes, ma'am!'. I gracefully stand up, gathering up the large bunches of golden silk into my soft, golden palms. My entire exposed skin is dyed in a pure golden colour, my long, enticing blonde hair is dyed to the exact same shade of golden. My eye-contacts are their usual pale, peach-pink colour, my lips are glossed with a shiny coat of gold. Yup, this Games is the season of gold as it is a new Quarter Quell.

I march briskly down the corridor, in tow with the _miserable_ man, with my prep team bubbling and busying around my massive dress of golden silk. They pat on golden dust onto my cheeks, coat my eye-lids with gold and bronze, quickly paint my nails to a pure colour of gold. Eventually, they finish their business once we reach the grand, black doors: the entrance to the stage.

I swallow nervously, blinking warily as I listen to the screams of excitement from the audience as they wait for my entrance. _Oh god… It's all really happening!_ What if I screw up? What if I stumble with my words and just make the interviews boring? What if I embarrass my father? How the _heck_ am I supposed to do this?

"_My dear, everybody love you, they relish your appearance, they savour every moment with you. They love it when you give them smiles. It's your charisma that makes them love you," my mother says, her fingers brushing gently against my cheek._

Yes, I do _have _charisma. Of course. It would be easy to impress them if I have charisma…

"It's show-time! Scarlett, it is time for you to enter the stage!"

Inside my stomach, my nerves are all jumbled up. Butterflies flutter around my stomach, making me clench my guts in anticipation. Suddenly, I feel nausea as I stride through the doors in a little strut of my own.

"Hello, Ladies and Gentlemen!" The crowd roar and scream with approval as I shout in a clear, confident tone. There are men jumping in the audience, their eyes popping out at the sight of my rather _revealing_ dress. I smirk and strut toward one of the red seats. With grace and swiftness, I slide onto one of the velvet couch. With another flash of a smirk directed at the men in the audience, I bellow over the sound of roars, "Aren't you all _excited_ for the Seventh Quarter Quell to begin! Shall we begin? Up come District One female, Gemma Larkson!"

And the interview begins. _You'll be fine, Scarlett, all you have to do is ask them questions._ Despite my efforts in each interview, I can't help but notice how time flies by…

The leader of the Career alliances, Gemma Larkson, strides up onto the stage with a smug sneer on her delicate face. She has her long, blonde hair tumbling in tufts down over her plum bust. She is wearing a beautiful, dark rose gown, around her low neckline is inlaid gems. The jewels in her face glimmer brightly in the spotlight. Once she sits down, it is obvious what her angle is; she acts out as a ruthless, smug competition. She pretty much insulted about every other Tribute, saying how they are 'weak' and 'pathetic'. The only Tribute she didn't insult was her District Partner, so I guess she is quite fond of him. Anyway, when the buzzer sounds, I find out that I don't particularly like her. However, the applaud she gets is crazy that I swear I nearly recoiled from the sound of it…

Next up is Shine Parkhill from District One. Once he sets his foot onto the stage, the squeals from female Capitol citizens are so loud that I wish I have ear-plugs. Although, I can see why they love him; he is definitely the most good-looking male this year. He is wearing a dark, blue suit with silver threads weaving through them, and even worst, the suit is opened to reveal his well-toned chest. I felt an itch to run my hands over his chest… _Scarlett, no, he is a _Tribute_! _Anyway, throughout his entire interview his angle is as the heart-breaker- he compliments the women in the Capitol, saying how beautiful they are, and he told us how he respects women which got a couple sobbing with joy. When he walks off, there are actually roses being tossed at the stage!

District Two, Lianna Maryia, comes up next. The crowd already know her, so the cheers were vibrating and echoing across the large room so loudly. She gives the audience a sweet smile, waving at a couple of people in the crowd. She sits down in a graceful movement, gathering up bunches of her beautiful, pale-green dress. The dress is what I would kill for! It has a tight torso, with green floral flowers running over her one shoulder. The pale green skirt spreads out in a fanning shape, the dark green silk, collecting from her torso, is hanging delicately over the skirt. She is wearing glittery, green wedges which is barely noticeable compared to her enticing dress. Her dark hair is cascading gracefully down her back. I have to say- this is probably the best outfit tonight. It even outshines my _own_ dress! Anyway, throughout her interview, she plays out a sweet, lovely angle, complimenting on my dress and hair. Before the buzzer comes to life, she shows off her gymnastics skills by doing a cartwheel across the stage. The applaud she receives is as noisy as Shine's...

The next Tribute is Gilead Wright. When he walks onto the stage, the crowd is almost silent, watching the brooding man. He is one of the Tributes with the highest Score, also his grand appearance triggers a nerve-whacking feel to the audience. He looks menacing and dangerous in his smart, black tuxedo with a small, white bowtie around his calloused throat. He wears squeaky clean, polished shoes which look almost black as President Black's own shoes. Despite his appearance, his angle is nowhere near as menacing and ruthless as I've expected. He acts out as a rather quiet man, and quite grim. Like he doesn't want to be there. However, when I ask him a question about his personal family, he transformed into a this warm, humble guy who obviously cared about his family. When he left the stage, the audience is no longer scared of him, but their applaud is reasonably noisy. To me, I believe there is still more to him…

Then up comes Avalon Hargrave. Once again, the audience is silent, watching her every movement, precisely because she is another Tribute with a high, unexpected Score. After the great success of the chariot rides, it seems obvious that Avalon's stylist had no clue what to dress her up in, as she is wearing a rather plain, navy blue dress that reaches her knees with a white lab-coat on her shoulders. I can see that it is quite an effort for her to smile brightly at the audience, so I already know that this angle of hers doesn't match her personality. She replies to my every question with honest, blunt answers. She actually told us a story of her parents, how she loves them but wishes she doesn't live with them. Once the buzzer comes to life, and she waves at the audience, the applaud is reasonably okay. But I can see that there are a few sympathetic people cheering for her…

The next on my list is Karmine McFearson. _Funny surname_, I briefly think to myself. The small kid walks up to the seats with a bored expression, his eye-lids lowered slightly, so I immediately know that his angle is going to be a 'I can't be bothered'. He is wearing a loose, black shirt which reveals a plain, white vest underneath which glimmers and glows softly in the lights. Up near, I can see that it is a special material, one that I long for, it reflects the blazing lights. Throughout his interview, he answers my questions with a careless, dull attitude, as if he just wants all of this to be over… When he leaves, I feel relieved that his interview is over. The applaud he gains is not very good, of course…

Alice Potts is the most beautiful looking female this year, and her stylist really used that to the advantage. She wears a thigh-length, pale blue dress that matches her ice-blue eyes. There is a black ribbon below her bust and is tied into a pretty bow at the side. Her torso is scattered with glimmering shells and colourful seaweeds, whereas he large skirt if ruffled in sea-green lace. She, also, wears a pretty pearl necklace which must be her token. Her eyes seem to be brighter tonight, so her stylist obviously did something to them. Anyway, her interview was successful, she plays out a sexy angle. She gushes on and on about how beautiful the Capitol is, and how she loves her sponsors. Throughout, I keep thinking if she is just acting or something, because I catch glimpses of displeasure in her eyes. However, when the buzzer echoes out, the applaud- especially from the men- is considerably loud…

Her District Partner, Liane Herring, comes up to me. There are 'aw' and 'ooh's in the audience at his cute, tiny figure. He anxiously darts his eyes around, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. He is wearing a light blue, button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up past his elbows. From this close, I can see that each individual button on his shirt are shimmering, colourful shells. He, also, wears black skinny jeans tucked into dense, blue boots that seem to be etched as scales. It seems obvious that he is desperate to get through his interview successfully; he answers my questions with intelligent answers, although his tone of voice is quivering like mad. Anyway, when his interview is over, there a lot of sympathetic mothers in the audience that cry out for him…

The next person to interview is somebody I had been dreading. Nicolet Oaster. I mean, she can't talk! How am I going to interview a mute girl who will only allow me to do the talking? Yup, it's almost impossible. Anyway, I have to do this right, so I don't screw up my entire interview. The small girl is wearing a black dress that falls loosely down to her knees, with white feather drawings etched into her jet black dress. Her hair is up in a loose, graceful bun, with wisps frying out. Her stylist must had pierced her ears because there are white feather earrings on her ears. The make-up she wears is simply pink gloss on lips, and black eye-shadow on her wide eyes which make her eyes appear black I have to say, this interview is the worst so far, all the way through, the girl simply gives me jerky nods or shaking shrugs. Occasionally, I feel tempted to just walk off the stage because it was like I was talking to myself! Sadly, for her, the audience got bored of her and there wasn't really any cheers when she got off. Poor kid…

I feel relief rushing throughout me when Dade Porter comes up. He is wearing similar outfit to Nicolet's, his is a black tuxedo with white drawings of feathers scattered across it. His black, sticky-upwards hair is gelled and slicked down to his scalp. He walked at a slow pace, a confident smile on his face. I feel so comfortable with him because he is honest and casual with me. Through most of his interview, he is friendly with the Capitol, like he is an old friend of ours. But near the end, he went on into a sob story of his family, how he never particularly liked his mother but wants return for her. And how he has feelings for somebody in the Games, with this, I keep asking him who, but he wouldn't tell me. Anyway, when he leaves, he gets a good response from the audience…

Dressed in a pretty teal, long dress is Eveliina Burridge. She gets onto the stage in a wobbly walk, as if she can't quite walk properly in her dark blue, killer high-heels. The dress flows elegantly around her ankles. Her hair is in a graceful braid, tied with a teal ribbon, there are white flowers weaved into her dark hair. She looks beautiful, and is probably in another best outfit, alongside Lianna's. Her interview angle is friendly and sweet, but she got serious when I move onto the Games. She said how she would compete against the other Tributes, however she doesn't reveal what weapon. She says that she will get through, she has that determination in her. Before the buzzer sounds, I ask her if she has a lover, and she immediately goes silent. So it is obvious she does have a _lover_…

The male of District Six, Cohen De Luca, sits down next to me with a bold grin on his face. He wears a fairly plain outfit- a black shirt with a brightly coloured tie, black slavcks. His entire demeanour scream out a cheeky, mischievous attitude. _Well, I guess, all I have to do is listen to him as he jokes on and on,_ I think. Despite me thinking he would be those ordinary, boastful guys with wit spilling out of their mouths, he is actually quite clever with his jokes that they got me laughing non-stop! He spurts out joke after joke, grinning wildly as he watches me and the audience fall about laughing. However, once I ask him why he has such a low Score, his entire persona collapses. He glares at me and says that it isn't his fault, that he had been expected to just give up on his life. In fact, to me, I think he _has_ gave up on his life… the applaud he receives is quite uncertain and there are a few pauses in it…

Madelyn Rosegold comes up to me in a brisk march, her high-heels clanking on the polished stage. It is quite a surprise to me that she isn't playing as I cute girl which she should be acting as because of her size, age and appearance. Anyway, she is wearing a simple, light green dress with pieces of leaves sewn in the skirt. Half-way through, the audience already love her. She spills out insults about the other Tributes, mainly Dade, Tyler and Nicolet… I wonder what happened between those four… Her angle is obviously tough and ruthless, and she plays it very well that I often think that it is her own personality. When she leaves, she gets a great response from the audience…

Her District Partner, Gino Cosimo, is next. When he comes onto the stage, the audience is still trying to recover from Madelyn's mocking taunts about the Tributes. He is wearing a camouflage, long-sleeved shirt with leaves covering it, the shirt is slightly opened and the sleeves are tight- probably to reveal the six-pack on his chest, and the large muscles cording his arms. To be frank, he isn't as outshining as the other Tributes; he just stays confident and bold, replying to me with optimistic answers. Half-way through, I feel an urge to bring out more from him, so I curiously ask him why he volunteered. And he replies that he volunteered for his brother. Then he proceeds into a sob story about his parents dying, leaving him to tend his young brother. Therefore, his brother is all alone back in District Seven now. That brings out a few sobs from the audience when his interview is over…

District Eight female Tribute, Lavender Dreamcoat is next. She walks onto the stage with that little nervous limp in her walk, it appears that she isn't confident enough to face the Capitol. She stares at the audience with wide eyes that contain that innocence to her. The audience and I watch her as she walks over, the flattering dress she is wearing is a deep shade of blood-red, even better, it glimmers with that soft, velvety feel. When she sits down, I can see that she is nervous, so I ask her to spin around in her dress to reassure her. She stands up, anxious eyes darting around, then swirls in the centre of the stage. The audience 'ooh's at the radiating colours emitting from her dress. This year, her stylist has definitely got good outfits! The buzzer sounds even before Lavender can sit down and proceed into a conservation with me. Well, that was quick. However, she gets a good cheer from the audience!

Tyler Levitt, dressed in a smart, navy blue suit, strides onto the stage in that confident swag of his. He beams and waves at the audience as they scream out for him. Occasionally, he blows the girls in the crowd a flirty wink or kiss. Well, he definitely knows how to play up the crowd! It is effortless for me to make his interview successful as he just boasts about himself and compliments on how he loves girls. He says how he is enjoying the food in the Capitol, and the costumes, and the company of the other Tributes. I often frown, because isn't it wrong to be nice about other Tributes? I mean, he is going to have to kill them! Anyway, when he leaves the stage, the applaud he has from the females in the crowd is fairly loud…

Then comes up is Caladium Vivacious. She is dressed in a gorgeous, short, cream white dress with diamonds inlaid around the collar. The dress frays out to her thigh, the torso considerably tight with a pretty diamond-laid brooch. I would seriously give up everything for _that_ dress! The audience is quiet and content, waiting patenting to find out more about her. We all don't know much about this certain girl. At the chariot rides, she didn't really shine out to us, and her Score isn't particularly interesting, but her demeanour cast out that dark feel about her. Like there is more to her… However, inspite of my efforts, we get to hardly know her. She narrowly dodges every personal question about her life and home. When she leaves, the applaud is fairly weak. Guess that the audience has given up on her…

The next Tribute to interview is Joona Riddy. The small kid walks up to the stage in a glossy white tuxedo with a white bowtie. He wears white, polished shoes that squeak with cleanness on the slippery floor. His eyes contain that confused look in them as he glance around, his lips are pursed together in that puzzled façade. He stands in front of the seat, looking like he's not sure what to do, 'till I gently pat the seat beside me and he promptly slumps down. I have to say that he is so adorable! His angle is confused, completely harmless and cute. Then he proceeds into a sob story of his own. He tells us about his father, and how he thinks his father hates him, how he is desperate to impress his father. However, near the end, he starts to confuse us with his own questions. And it's meant to be me asking questions! Before the buzzer, he keeps asking why he is here and what is happening. I watch him as he walks back to his seat, I have feeling that there is something wrong with him…

Genevieve Sanders is up next in the line. She is wearing a loose, white blouse with a pale blue, floral print skirt that frays out below her knees. Her hair is up in a messy bun with loose strands framing her delicate face in rough wisps, her dark fringe covers one eye entirely, so she peers out at us with a curious, almost spooky look. As she walks over to me in her black shoes which have small heels, I can tell that her outfit is rather simple, but still adorable. I guess, her angle would be innocence. However, she is the exact opposite of what I expected. She doesn't smile at me at all, just warding off a hostile feel. Her every answer to questions are honest and brutal. She is very passionate about winning and to survive. When the buzzer sounds, the audience love her because of her courage.

After Genevieve is Lynx Rachen. Once he walks onto the stage, the women in the crowd are screaming their heads at him. That is particularly because he is wearing a rather revealing suit. The suit is plain white but is loosely opened to expose his toned chest, his white slacks are tight. He smirks at the screams and shouts out that he loves the Capitol women which got them screaming even more. When he sits down, his angle is alike to a typical Career. He emits that dangerous aura around him, boasting about how he can take the crown easily like it is on a silver platter. He tells us how he has a _plan_. But he never goes into detail about the plan. So that gives the audience a sense that he will entertain us a _lot_. When he leaves, the applaud is intense…

Lesia Cinder strides onto the stage with that stubborn look on her face. Already the cheers from the audience is loud, as if they are already loving her reckless, rebellious attitude. She sits properly onto the seat beside me, swallowing briefly before she turns to me. She is wearing a light, blue cocktail dress, the dress is strapless so she keeps pulling it back up. Typically, this reminds me of the chariot rides, involving Brandi… Anyway, her angle is stubborn and blunt. She answers most of my questions with one worded answers, which doesn't get me happy. When she leaves, the applaud she receives is not as loud as it was when she came on!

Her District Partner, Jontha Leve, comes onto the stage with an anxious look etched into his pale face. I almost blink twice when I catch glimpse of him. The audience immediately go silent as we watch the poor kid walk to his seat. His stylist definitely made him appear ghostly ill. His face is sickly pale with that sallow colour, his eyes have dark circles surrounding them. His curly hair is greasy and slimy with sweat streaked through them. He wears a big suit which appears to be too big for him, his eyes have lost their light to them. Overall, he looks dead…like he is so ill… Is this just an angle? I try to recall back on the chariot rides and his reaping, and in both he looked fine. His angle confirms my suspicion, he plays out as a weak, vulnerable, poor kid who has given up life. When he leaves, the applaud he earns is magnificent because of the sympathetic sponsors…

District Twelve comes next. Brandi Hahn- dressed in a inky black dress which cuts diagonally at her knees, her torso is a deep shade of velvety purple- strides up to the audience without sitting down. I frown as she shouts out to the audience, spurting out jokes about what I'm wearing which causes laughter emitting from the crowd. A tight grimace forms onto my face. _How dare she insult me!_ What is the point of insulting me? I'm the person who help the Tributes gain sponsors! When she sits down, I immediately feel the urge to ruin her interview for her. So I ask her the most awkward questions which she visibly tries to avoid, but that makes her answers even more awkward… Overall, she tries to make herself as ruthless, snotty and rude. She insults pretty much everything- mostly her District Partner. If she wanted to appear rude, then she got that correct for insulting me. When she leaves, the applaud isn't as loud as it could have been if she didn't insult me…

The last Tribute left is Shawn McCracken. He skulks onto the stage with his hands hidden in his leather trousers. He gives the audience an hostile, expressionless glare. But that, however, gains him a large round of applaud. I guess the chariot rides and his Training Score has earned him sponsors… Anyway, he is wearing an entire outfit of leather, inlaid with silver studs which gives him a threatening appearance. Of course, his angle for the interview is hostile, mysterious and brooding. And he has done that successfully by giving me curt answers. When we move onto his Training Score, he simply relies that he _inflicted_ pain… And that, of course, gets him another round of cheers. I guess that the audience likes to know that there is somebody who will give them a show…

"And that's it for tonight!" I shout out in a clear voice once the applaud for Shawn has dwindled. Roses are being tossed onto the stage as I stride with outward confidence off the stage. The doors slam shut after I give a last wave. Safe back in the stage backroom, I inhale and exhale deeply, breathing through my nose.

Well, that was exhausting! But so exciting to meet the Tributes face-to-face! It's such a shame to see a few of my favourites die once they are in the arena… However, I think I did the interviews well. _I, luckily, didn't screw it up…_

* * *

**District Five**

_**Nicolet Oaster's **_**POV**

My fingers, frigid and cold, are shaking at my sides. My legs stumble and shuffle on the slippery floor as the elevator zooms upwards. I glance over at my ally, Dade. I still can't believe he asked me to be his ally! It was during the morning of the first Training Day and we were alone in the elevator when he asked me. And I rapidly nodded my head. My nod was rapid and unchecked, but he confirmed that I want to be his ally. So, here I am: in the elevator with my _ally_.

How did it all happen? Why did he want me to be his ally?

The past few days in the Training Room, we had been glued at the sides; walking around the room together, going to stations together and working together. He was the one who spoke to other Tributes, he was the one who stood up to Madelyn Rosegold. Madelyn. I have a feeling that girl hates us so much that she would be willing to murder us with her own bare hands in the arena… I saw the look in her eyes. Laughter, directed at us, and anger when Tyler stepped in. Tyler, the handsome looking boy from District Eight. Why did _he _help? Did he want to be our ally?

My lips part open, the words I wish I can say register inside my mind: _why don't we have Tyler as our ally?_ But how can I say that? Does Dade really want him? Well, I just hope Tyler will do well in the arena by himself. Hopefully, Madelyn won't chase him and get her revenge…

_He'll be fine,_ I think to myself. _He is good-looking which will gain swallow sponsors, also his interview went brilliantly._

Interview…

I gulp away the harsh lump stuck inside my throat. My interview was…a fail, I know. The interviewer, Scarlett is probably her name, tried to get some words out of me, but, of course, I never spoke. Instead, she entertained the audience with her own petty jokes to steer away from a stony silent interview. It was all a fail.

I will never get a sponsor. Well, hopefully some sympathy ones…

The sound of sliding doors jolt me back to the reality. My eyes blink warily, trying to adjust to the darkness outside. Light flood out from the elevator onto the roof, illuminating dark shadows and objects out on the roof. We are on the roof because once we got to our floor after the interview, Dade said to me that he needed to talk to me. Privately. Without the eyes of our escort and Mentors on us. So he took us to the roof.

Dade steps out, hunched down in his black jacket that he wore to the interview, his dark hair wavering in the soft breeze outside. I follow his exact steps, walking out of the warm, lit elevator. Once the doors slid shut, the light disappears, causing the roof to relapse into darkness. My eyes warily blink, pausing for them to readjust. The frigid chill of the wind hits me in a tidal wave, making me shiver wildly. My legs shake underneath my entire weight, my fingers rub my bare, goose-bumped arms. Involuntarily, I glance down at my interview outfit. It is just a simple sun-dress, pale yellow, which glows softly in the darkness, with white wedges.

"Are you cold?" Dade asks me tentatively, his eyes landing onto mine.

I nod jerkily. Dade shrugs off his heavy jacket, he walks towards me. From behind, he rests the dense jacket onto my shoulders. Immediately, I snuggle straight into the warm jacket, relishing the soft feel of the sweet-smelling leather.

He watches me snuggle in it and laughs. "You are so cute sometimes."

A furious blush creeps up from my neck to my cheeks. Soon, bright, pink colours blossom onto my pale, cold cheeks. _Oh my God, I need to tone down all of this blushing._

"Come with me," he orders bluntly. I blink in surprise at his abrupt command, however I follow in tow willingly. He walks with small steps to the brim of the roof over-looking the entire Capitol city. Lights glimmer in the darkness, warding off the dark chill. A soft glow of radiating light emit from the shimmering moon above onto the roofs of the buildings, emphasizing them.

Dade halts and gazes intensely out at the city. He looks as if he is reluctant to tell me something… I swallow nervously when I catch a shiver ripple throughout him. He is cold, and it's my fault as took away his jacket.

I walk over towards him, he glances in surprise at me when I gently pull one side of the jacket around him, enveloping both of us in the jacket. Another blush takes up my entire face when I realise what I've just done. I can feel the warm, bare skin of his arms underneath the leather, I can smell his sweet musk, I can see the deep colour of his blue eyes. For the first time, I notice two small moles beneath his left eye. They are close together and high up his cheek-bone. I have never noticed them…until now.

And I will forever remember them.

"Why thank you," Dade whispers blithely, gesturing at our current position. "I'd never thought that I would get this close to a pretty girl again!"

Once again, my cheeks flush furiously, redness tinting them. _He thinks I'm pretty?_

For a while, Dade chuckles humbly, whereas I simply smile with embarrassment.

"Nicolet…there's something I have to tell you…" Dade has suddenly changed his tone. His eyes squint together, concentrating on his careful words. His lips purse together into a frustrated pout. "I have no idea how I should say it, though… You must not tell anybody, you hear?"

I study him, watching every feature of his face, watching him as he lets out a breathy chuckle. I give him a small nod. Of course, I'm not going to tell anybody. _How_ could I tell a people in words I can't make?

He inhales deeply, a shaky smile working its way across his face. "Of course you wouldn't tell anybody…" he says, "but this is important… It would get my twin brother in trouble."

_He has a twin brother? _I wait patiently for him to tell me whatever it is he wants me to know. Why his twin brother involved? And why he never told me about his twin brother… He told me everything about his family, he'd never mentioned a _twin brother_.

"My twin brother is called Dade," he whispers, his cheeks twitching as if he is reluctant to tell me this. His eyes shift towards mine, and I briefly drown into his blue orbs before I jerk my senses back to the reality.

What he just said doesn't make any sense. He is saying that his twin brother is called Dade, but that doesn't make sense because _his_ name is Dade. How can he have a twin brother who has the exact same name as his…

"Sorry, you must be confused about what I'm on about!" he shouts aloud. Bursting out laughing, he guffaws at the night-sky. Reluctantly, I nervously smile, smiling at his sudden laughter. "What I meant is…I'm not Dade."

Immediately, I frown. What is he going on about? Slowly, the clocks inside my head turn and tick by, registering what he is saying. Did he…take his brother's place?

"Yeah, you already know." He sighs, watching me as I give him a sceptical look. Derisively, he laughs, mostly at himself. "It was my brother who was reaped… It wasn't me! Yes, you're thinking, _then why are you here?_ I'm here because I was stupid and took my brother's place for our District. It was his name that had been called out. But I couldn't watch him go to the stage…I couldn't watch him die in the arena… I couldn't let him go. So I willingly took his place. Nobody, apart from my family, knew it was me… It was hard for them to know because me and my brother are identical looking."

He breaths in deeply, his eyes squinting shut in a grimace. "In the Justice Building, my parents were…actually happy that I took my brother's place. My brother didn't want me to go. He threatened me he would tell everybody and get himself killed, only he is stopped when I told him if he reveals the truth to the Capitol, our entire family would get punished and probably killed for my stunt. So…that shut him up."

All I can think is, _why though? Was his brother that important?_ I stare at him, disbelief etched across my face. He returns my stare, probably relenting himself isn't his skill.

"Nicolet, do you want to know what is my real name?" I give him a nod. "It's Dunolos. Dunolos Porter. But please don't let anybody, not a soul, know the truth. It would get my family killed…"

I give him a rapid nod, assuring him that nobody would find out from me. I glance around, assuming that we better get back to our floor. He inhales sharply through his nostrils, staring intensely at me. Reaching out, he grabs my shivering hands.

"You're cold?" he asks, more like stating an understatement. I nod nervously. He wraps his arms around me, enveloping me in his strong arms. "Nico, can I ask you something…" He pauses before whispering, "Have you ever been kissed?"

Abruptly, my entire body go stiff. Heart pounding, I pull away from him, turning my blushing face away from him. _Why did he ask me that? Of course I had never been kissed! Why would anybody kiss some pathetic girl like me? I'm useless, as usual…_

"No?" he says, recognising my reluctant behaviour. "Well, Nicolet, you deserve to have a nice kiss…"

I shake violently as his soft fingers brush my jaw line, gently turning my face towards his. His warm contact with my jaw makes my heart beat faster. His eyes drill into mine but it not a cruel, menacing look; it is a sweet look. Leaning in closer, he drifts closer towards my face, his head tilting so ever carefully. I can practically feel his warm, steamy breath as he leans in closer and closer…and closer. His lips hover over mine…

Soon, I realise that my eyes are still open, so I abruptly clamp them shut. With the darkness falling over my sight, all I can sense is his smell, his touch, his sound. His breath smells sweet and enticing, the sound of it is branded into my brain. Every precise moment of this is drilled in my mind. I will never forget this… I will never stop loving…Dunolos…

The world disappears almost immediately when his lips meet mine. They brush so ever gently over my stiff lips. I can taste the sweet scent of his breath, lips and skin. Everything fade to non-existence as I focus entirely on him. Just him… Him. Dunolos. The boy who I met after I had been reaped…

Slowly, my lips begin to respond to his. They willingly move in perfect synchronization to his movements. Desperate to get every touch of his lips, every taste of him, everything involving him.

After a long moment, we both pull apart, panting for breath. I gaze at him, drinking in every feature of his face. He smiles, parting open his lips. "Nicolet, remember this- I love you. I will always love you…"

* * *

**Author's Note: **Love is in the air! We have finally reached the final chapter before the Games! Aren't you excited? I am. I apologize if the interview was boring… I'm not that good at interviews because I have like no clue what questions are fun to ask.

So, to those who only reviewed like three or haven't _even_ reviewed once yet, you better get reviewing or your Tribute will be chosen to be killed. There's actually like three people who still haven't reviewed which is quite annoying because I don't know if they are reading this. So you better review!

So, in the next chapter, you'll see what is the arena is… And who is going to die… And what kind of plots I have in store for ya guys. You'll all meet mutts and there is a _nice_ twist or two later in the story!

_May the odds be ever in your favor! You may need it…_


	3. A New Tribute

Here's a little surprise...

* * *

**A New Tribute**

The flickering television screen blares directly at Lilac Heavensbee. The glow of its screen vibrates violently in the thick darkness. She gently sips at her smothering hot mug of coffee, the steam coming off it clouds her vision. Dark circles surrounding her violet eyes are vivid and a nasty purple.

The interviews fly by in a lightning speed on her television. She is watching the interviews again. With a small glance, she checks the time on her watch which snuggles on her wrist- it is 12:50. She heaves in a deep breath. The Games always keep her up late. She just cannot go home and fall asleep in her king-size bed. The Games are so important to her, they are the most significant thing in her life. And this arena is successfully going to keep the citizens of Panem awake in the night tomorrow once they find out the…arena…

A small cackles ripples out of her pale lips. She smirks slyly. This arena is going to be _brilliant_. She has already made many, many, many plans. You see, this Quarter Quell belongs to _her_…

Now, you're wondering… The tale of the men surrounding a circular table, debating and discussing how to solve the problem with the Dark Days…and their solution was a punishment for the Districts…and so they created the Hunger Games along with the Quarter Quell. But this tale isn't entirely true… The truth is, they created just the Hunger Games, not the Quarter Quells. In fact, it was the Head Gamemaker of the 24th Hunger Games that came up with the Quarter Quells. He had trouble with the 24th Games, because there was no absolutely no entertainment in it, so he created the Quarter Quells to make the Games more exciting. However, he never wrote out all of the Quarter Quells… Each Head Gamemakers of each Quarter Quell would write their own twist, and they would be the only ones to know the twist- not even the President would _know_. Therefore, Lilac wrote this Quarter Quell to have no Cornucopia… And she did that for some valid reason…

The reason of that is because she wanted her twist to be completely unexpected and unpredictable. The audience would never dream of a Games without the Cornucopia. Also, she wants to have a small bloodbath so she would have more pawns to play with… More plots and twists to add in… She would devastated if most of the interesting Tributes died in the bloodbath. Therefore, she wrote this twist to have no Cornucopia…

At first, the audience weren't happy after the Quarter Quell announcement, but they slowly got increasingly jubilant… They know that Lilac has a plentiful more of twists in store for them…

With no Cornucopia, that makes finding weapons and supplies difficult for the Tributes, but at least they will find them… Although, the best, most threatening weapons will be held secretly and waiting for them. You see, Lilac has made more twists involving the Tributes finding the weapons… You'll see soon…

Also…there is a very unexpected twist near the end…when the Games approach the Final Eight…

Lilac heaves in a sharp, intense breath. She cannot contain her excitement…

A sudden knock at the oak wooden door penetrates through her thoughts, sharply jolting her back to her senses. The evil smile on her face falls and completely disappears…almost like there wasn't anything there. Lilac cranes her tender neck at the door, her violet eyes squint slightly.

_No one_ should disturb her…unless it is an important matter…

Suddenly, Lilac has grown worried. She slips on her smart, black slippers and pulls on a black jacket. She carefully pads her way across the room towards the large double doors. And she swings the door wide open.

There, in the doorway, is Fanta. The ginger-haired man beams at her brightly, the colourful braces dancing with the lights that it looks like flashing rainbows. Lilac scowls menacingly. _What is_ he_ doing here?_

"Hello, ma'am! How are you feeling tonight?" Fanta chirps with visible glee in his voice. He shuffles his feet- but the movement isn't nervousness; it is excitement, like he cannot contain something…

"Is that your new chat-up line tonight? I thought your chat-line was 'Ohmigosh, isn't the Hunger Games amazing'," Lilac sneers with an uninterested manner. She sighs scornfully. "Oh, what is it, Fanta? Why did you come here?"

Fanta is completely indifferent to her hostile and aloof attitude. "Ma'am, you will _never_ guess what!"

"Oh God, not this game again…" Lilac mutters to herself, rolling her narrow eyes. "I don't want to guess… Just _tell _me for shit's sake…"

Fanta's eyes widen and he swallows. _Good, now the imbecile got his senses back_, Lilac thinks inwardly. Fanta shifts his eyes around, automatically noting Lilac's negative mood. "Okay…miss, it's urgent. Something happened to District Nine girl…"

"…District Nine girl? What is her name? I cannot recall her…." Lilac murmurs.

"Caladium Vivacious. That's her name," Fanta shrills in response.

"Ah, right. What happened to her?"

Fanta has suddenly gone silent… Lilac stares at him, her eyes transforming into narrow slits. _What is up with him?_ "Sorry…ma'am, but it's all so confusing… Caladium's escort, Rose, found her in her bedroom…dead…" Fanta is suddenly rushing through his words, "And she immediately called Ambrose, and Ambrose ordered me to fetch you. Right now, Cherryy is looking through the files of the District Nine girls. Ma'am, you have to come and see Caladium…"

Once he finishes, there is a long silence lapsing the corridor. Lilac gazes at him, shocked. He stares back at her defiantly, not batting an eyelid. Eventually, Lilac says, "What did you…_say_?"

Fanta gulps nervously, his Adam-apple bobbing obtrusively. "I said that Caladium is…dead."

"_Dead_?" Lilac shouts, bewildered. _How did this happen? How could a Tribute of hers died…before the arena? She was supposed to be in her master plan in the arena! What happened? …Did someone murder her?_

"Who killed her?" Lilac demands, a slight snarl lacing her voice.

Fanta's eyes are wide with remote fear. "You have to see, ma'am!"

"Fine, take me to her bedroom, and take me to her killer. I'll give that killer the punishment they _so_ deserve…" Lilac snaps sharply, she quickly slips back into her room to switch off the noisy television- one the good things about her, is that she believes strongly in recycling- and to slide on the killer, blood-red high-heels. She locks her room and takes off in a loud march down the corridor with Fanta at her heel.

The loud clanking of her high-heels echo evidently down the corridor as she strides, with her hands formed into tight fists at her sides. Fanta trots beside her, half-running and half-walking to catch up with her. The good thing is, Lilac is already in the Training Centre building, so all she has to do is reach the elevators and press the number '9'.

Once she reaches the elevator, she shoves the two stylists entering the empty elevator out of her way. The stylists begin to shout out curses and names, but they immediately shut up when they recognise Lilac. Just before the elevator zooms up, Fanta squeezes in.

"Oh…o-oh… I-I need to g-get my breath b-back!" Fanta gasps between heavy pants. Lilac shoots a sceptical glare at him at the corner of her eyes.

"You really ought to exercise more if you are panting even after a small jog." She glances at him, giving his round belly a square examine. "You have fattened up a lot over the past months…"

Fanta shoots her a dagger-like glare before turning his face away. Lilac smirks lightly. This is one of her favourite things to do- she loves to insult others. Automatically, the elevator halts, drawing open the wide doors to reveal a chaotic room… Lilac rises her eyebrows. There are the rest of the Gamemakers already in the room, waiting patiently for her. They all turn to her, eyes wide and looking for their leader… They are all there already. But that isn't what got Lilac's attention. It is the sobbing woman in the corner…

Rose Smith. Caladium's escort.

Her loud sobs fill the tense atmosphere. Lilac roll her eyes. It is not like Caladium was her own relative. What is the _matter_ with her? She would've lost Caladium in the arena. Lilac heave in a deep breath and shift her eyes hostilely over the dark room. "So, every Gamemaker is here? Where is the President?" Lilac demands, her tone sounds so harsh in the dull room.

"Yes, every Gamemaker is already here, waiting for you. And I just called President Black. He says he will here in ten minutes," Ambrose's grave voice replies to her. They exchange a small look.

"Please can someone shut up Rose? Or I'll hit around her head repeatedly with an iron bat myself," Lilac orders. She pauses until Cherryy leaps into action and push Rose into a room with her. "So, who killed Caladium?"

Ambrose and the rest of the Gamemakers all shuffle their feet nervously. _Oh God, what is up with these pathetic Gamemakers?_ "Oh, hurry up and tell me. I'm not in a patient mood tonight," Lilac snaps.

It is Ambrose who answers her reluctantly, "It was her Mentor- Salvius…"

"Her own Mentor?" Lilac breathes sceptically. "Take me to her room. Now."

Raye steps forward, he jerks his thumb over his shoulder, pointing directly at the dark corridor. He walks into it with Lilac in tow. The only light emits from a shaded lamp at the end of the corridor. The lights cast off eerie shadows. Raye halts outside a pale green door with a '9' mounted onto it. Lilac pushes past him, opening the door, she immediately senses one thing…

A tidal wave of sickening sweet, metallic blood reach her, flowing outside from the room…

The next thing she registers is the ghastly sight of dark red blood. The blood stretches towards the door, a large pool of red. Lilac cranes her neck carefully up the pool of blood towards the body. The body looks almost unrecognisable. Its stomach is torn apart, tattered innards and flesh sprawled out from the bloody hole. Blood smear the entire exposed skin. Soaking the pure white hair, giving it that dirty red colour.

Caladium Vivacious. Dead.

Lilac's eyes flare, with both anger and blood-thirst. She swallows away her blood-thirst, reminding herself that this situation is wrong, so she should take control of it instead of going to the body and scooping up a handful of blood and smear it across her face. She can do that another time…

A low gurgling moan draws her attention from the unrecognisable body. Her piercing violet eyes land onto Salvius. The man is crouched in the corner, his eyes glinting with malice and thirst. He grips his hands together and rock his body forwards and backwards. His eyes swivel around until they meet Lilac's. And immediately fear register in them. He knows what Lilac can do to him. He knows his punishment is inevitable. Unavoidable. He can't escape…

"Why did you murder your own District Tribute?" Lilac shouts furiously, her façade contorting into rage. She marches straight for Salvius, walking all over the pool of blood… She whips out a deadly-looking knife from her pocket.

You see, Lilac always carries a weapon with her. Just in cast if she has to protect herself…or torture somebody…

Salvius' eyes widen as his eyes roam over the glistening knife, his bloodied face reflect in the gleaming blade. His lips part open, feeble and weak. "She attacked me…first…"

"Hang on a minute…aren't we in her bedroom?" Lilac says scornfully, "How would she attack you in her own bedroom? Did you sneak in? Why?"

"_Why_?" Salvius spits, distaste lacing his eyes. "_Why_? Well, because she _got_ away from me before. And I couldn't let her go again! She should have never escaped. She deserves to die…"

"Are you _stupid_ or something?" Lilac screams, her eyes flaring wildly. She shakes her head repeatedly, causing her long hair to tremble in waves. She waves her knife around dangerously. "She was supposed to die in the arena! Why couldn't you have waited longer? And what do you mean? She escaped you?"

"_I'm not stupid!_" Salvius shouts angrily. He heaves in a deep breath. "One night, I had her, but she escaped. And now was my only chance!"

Lilac rolls her eyes. Oh course, it's that. She read all of the Tributes' files, so she knows why Caladium dyed her hair. But, she didn't think for a second that Caldium would be in danger with Salvius as her Mentor… _I guess, I will have to be more careful next time_, Lilac thinks absently.

"Well, your chance is over. How does it feel that your revenge is over? Are you satisfied?" Lilac snarls menacingly. Salvius nods rapidly, glee spreading across his face. _What such a shame, he seems to be quite like me_, Lilac thinks inwardly.

She rises her knife, the light from the doorway glinting on it. Salvius' eyes widen for a second, realising the situation he is in now. A small smile spreads across Lilac's face, her eyes flare. With a swift movement, she tore the knife through the air, heading straight for Salvius' face. The sharp blade rips into Salvius' fleshy cheek, tearing the flesh in two. A sharp intake of a gasp ripples out of Salvius.

Lilac stands back, studying her masterpiece. The large, tattered cut starts from Salvius' forehead down to his pointy chin. He heaves in quick breaths, allowing the blood flow freely from the deep wound. But his punishment isn't over…

Lilac steps forward again, steadying her knife. Salvius gives her a desperate look, begging her. But she ignores the look, ignores the storm of emotions in his eyes. She quickly thrusts her hand forward, stabbing Salvius in the stomach. She does it again. And again. And again… Salvius screams fill the room… Lilac's laughs mix in with it…

Finally, Lilac steps back, staring at her final work. Salvius is still alive, panting desperately for his breath as blood flow from his body in a steady river… Deep wounds adorn his body.

Raye immediately steps forward, a light smile on his face. He and Lilac exchange a look. Raye understands Lilac's dangerous thirst for a kill. He even feels the thirst himself…

The light from the doorway is blocked by the crowd of Gamemakers. A couple of them, such as Ambrose, Jones and Cherryy, look completely shocked. Cherryy gags slightly at the smell of blood, her eyes wide with dismay. _I guess, she have only seen dead people on television…_ Lilac thinks absently.

Faye arrives, with an Aid-bag in his hand. He enters the room reluctantly, until Lilac stops him. Lilac glares at the Aid, hatred flickering through her eyes. "No, don't save him. Let him die. I don't care if he does survive, or die. Let him be, don't help him," Lilac demands.

"What! So are you going to let him bleed to death?" Cherryy wails.

"Yes," is Lilac's blunt response. She gives the Gamemakers a glare. _They're so pathetic… Why can't they be more interesting? More like her and Raye?_ "Anyway, please can someone get me Caladium's file?"

"I got it," Cherryy says, her voice still whimpering and feeble. She holds out the blue folder with the name 'Caladium' on it. Lilac sharply yanks it away from Cherryy. She peers inside it, eventually pulling out the 'Friends' paper.

"We can't do an immediate Reaping in District Nine; we will have to choose somebody. Someone interesting and a friend of Caladium's," Lilac explains. Raye nods eagerly. Lilac continues, "Let me have a…look…"

She reads through the crisp paper in a lightning speed. And suddenly, she has come to the _perfect _new Tribute… She smiles slyly, peering through her eyelashes at the Gamemakers.

"We don't have time to wait for the President, because we have to go now." Jones gives her a bewildered look, puzzled and confused. Lilac flashes him a wink. "We're going to District Nine. We are going to get our new Tribute. And we have to do it _now,_ because the Games begins…tomorrow…"

**District Nine**

_**Katherine McManus' **_**POV (age 16)**

"It's so hard to believe that the Games is beginning just tomorrow…" my sister, Danielle, comments, sighing slightly.

"I know right!" I reply, "It's all going by so quickly…"

"Yeah…I can still remember the Reaping…" Danielle murmurs quietly, her fingers raking through my short, light brown hair.

"Oh, the Reaping…where the Mayor droned on and on. He's so interesting, isn't he?" I mutter in response. My eyes downcast, tears brimming up in them. Just thinking about the Reaping…makes me want to fast-backward it all, so I can save Caladium from her fate. But how would I do that? I can't save her life by taking her place in the Games. I can't just volunteer for her, because that would be sending myself to my death… So, thinking about how impossible it is to save my old friend makes me want to cry…

Danielle automatically notices my change in mood. She stops brushing my smooth hair and crawls around to face me on our bed. She tips my chin up so I have to stare squarely into her warm, chocolate brown eyes.

"You can't save Caladium," she whispers, as if she hates to say it, "It is Caladium's fate. The Capitol choose her. But…hopefully she will come back…"

"…But she will never come back…" I murmur, my voice so feeble and cracked.

Danielle breaths softly, the sound of her breathing so hushed. She strokes my cheek with her fleshy thumb. The darkness outside the windows seep into the room, darkening the corners. The flickering, bare bulb above our heads tremble, casting stretching shadows. Danielle bites down onto her bottom lip, pondering.

"She still…might…" she whispers, her voice sound as if she is questioning it. "Either way, be happy. You lost contact with her ages ago. And it's not like she ever tried to stay friends with you?"

"It's not her fault… She was in trouble and had to change her hair," I mutter, casting my eyes to the dirty, white sheets of my bed. My willowy fingers pick at the hoarse fabric.

Danielle shrugs, sighing to herself. She instantly pulls away, leaning back onto her bed. She cranes her head toward me. "Do you want me to braid your hair?"

Her question makes me smile slightly. I flick my gaze up at her and nod rapidly. She grins widely, teeth gleaming in the faint light. She reaches out and starts to smooth my hair. My body begins to relax, the thoughts of Caladium disappearing…

However, that is interrupted when the splintered wooden door creaks open. We both glance up sharply to see our mother. Rose.

She laughs quietly and walks into the room, smiling lightly as she tsks to herself. "Look at who is still up!"

Silence stretches, my face frozen. Suddenly, me and Danielle crackles up. Rose rolls her eyes playfully, she walks over to the bed and props herself onto the dirty sheets. The door is still left open, I glance at it and recognise my step-father. My laughter falls a little as I meet his eyes. He swallows and strides off down the corridor.

Me and my step-father don't really get on that much. We both have nothing in common; accept our love for Rose. My mother was with my real father, but had an affair with my step-father, who was married. My real father then left us when he found out. And my step-father left his wife to marry my mother. All of this happened 16 years ago. I was only a baby, so I have absolutely no memories of my real father.

But I will meet him one day. I _have_ to…

"Anyway, enough of laughing!" my mother giggles, her cheeks blossomed with redness. She lays her warm palms onto my and Danielle's knees. "You were supposed to be sleeping! You naughty girls."

"Oh, we are always naughty," I laugh, a smirk playing with my lips.

Rose chuckles at my jest. "Okay, you're correct. But it's time for you to sleep." She raises her wrist which has her tattered watch snuggled on it. "I mean, it's way past 12 now!"

"Who cares," Danielle drawls. She flops back onto her bed, resting her arms across her forehead and closes her eyes. "Fine, I'm tired anyway. Let's go to sleep."

"Alright then. But," I reply, "you have to get off _the_ bed, else I will sleep all over you!"

Danielle laughs and rolls her eyes. "Fine, Kat, sleep all over me, I don't care!" Her laugh is interrupted when a small pebble hit the thin glass window. We all literally jump, swirling around to face the window. Another small pebble taps onto the window, the sharp sound echoing. My breaths have turned to heavy pants due to the sudden noise.

"Who the _hell_ is it?" I shriek. Rose shrugs, she picks herself up from the bed and wanders towards the window. She opens the window and leans out, peering into the darkness for a moment before spinning back to us.

"Danielle!" she shouts, frowning slightly. "It's one of your play-boys!"

"Play-boys?" Danielle asks, bewilderment spreading across her face. "Is that a new nickname of yours for my _boys_?"

"Of course it is, you always play with them…" Rose rolls her eyes. "Tell him to go away and allow you two to sleep peacefully."

Danielle smirks and leaps up from the bed, she jogs to the window and leans out. Her light blonde hair swirl in the soft breeze outside. "Mack! It's _you_! What are you doing up so late?"

The voice of a gruff fellow echoes up towards the window and spills into the room. My shoulders go slack. _This is going to take a while…_ My sister is very flirty, you see, she likes to chat to boys. But she is very clever and mostly plays with the boys for fun. I know that sounds mean of her, but she still loves her lads.

"Goodnight, my Kat," my mother murmurs. She gently holds my chin in her grasp and leans down to kiss me lightly on the lips. "Go to sleep, and hopefully Danielle will join you."

"Okay, mum, I love you," I whisper, smiling at her. She winks at me and walks to the door. Before she walks out, she shouts over her shoulder at Danielle to finish her conservation with 'whoever it is' soon. The lights switch off, allowing darkness to lapse the room. I sigh into the darkness, wrapping myself into the sheets. Danielle's soft voice drifts off into silence… My eyes slow close…

And suddenly, I'm yanked up, a cold hand gripping onto my hair with a vice-like grasp.

Danielle's screams fill the room.

Rose's threats echo out from the corridor.

My eyes immediately open, noticing a dark figure in front of me. The person is not actually very large; the person has a slender frame. There is a small cackle from the person. I reach my hands up to the tight fist holding my hair and I try to pull the fingers loose, but they never go slack… My eyes squeeze shut in pain as the roots of my hair pull out slowly. My teeth grit together, grinding against each other. The screams of my family fill up in my ears…

_What the hell is going on?_

"Where are the lights!" a voice slicks around the room. I shudder when I automatically recognise it. It sounds so familiar… But I simply cannot recall it. It belongs to somebody important… Somebody evil… Somebody who is always on the television, threatening the Districts, taunting the Tributes, slyly dropping in hints about the Games…

Is it the _Head Gamemaker_?

_Lilac Heavensbee?_

No, no, no, no, it cannot be her! Why would she be in my own _house_?

The lights blare on, making me blind. I blink my eyes wildly, trying to readjust to the lights. My mother's screams suddenly go silent. Danielle's shouts suddenly go silent…

Eventually, my sight returns when my pale eyes adjust. I glance around, my eyes wide with fear and puzzlement. There is a large group of tall and well-fed people in black in my bedroom… Their faces exposed. A couple of them have nasty grins. Whereas others contain no trace of emotion. There is Rose and Danielle, with wet cloths tied around their heads, blocking their speech.

Finally, my gaze land onto Lilac Heavensbee…

_What is _she _doing here?_

"Hello, my dear," she cackles softly. Suddenly, she drops me, her long, bony fingers unlatching on my hair. And I fall down onto my bed, my eyes squeezed shut in pain as my head knocks hard on the wall. Lilac's laughs fill my hearing-range. "Ouch, sorry. My bad. Mind if I ask politely- are you Katherine McManus?"

I open my eyes again, squinting up at the Head Gamemaker. She smirks coyly down at me. I purse my lips together stubbornly, not willing to say anything.

"Well? _Aren't you Katherine McManus?"_ she screeches aloud, rage contorting in her voice. She glares down at me, her icy, violet eyes flaring with malice. I tremble slightly at the sight of her face contorting. She previously was a beautiful looking woman with an angelic face, but now she looks like the Devil…

"Yes… I'm Katherine McManus…" I whisper, my voice frail and feeble. "What are you doing here?"

At this, Lilac smiles again. "I'm here to fetch you for the Games…"

"The Games?" I ask, bewilderment etched across my face. What the _heck_ is she on about?

"You are the Tribute to replace Caladium Vivacious. Remember her?"

That one sentence automatically makes me gag a little. I immediately swallow away the vomit in my throat. My sight is blurred at the edges with darkness. My entire exposed skin rises up with Goosebumps. The hairs on my neck raises in a contort. I know what she is talking about…

Caladium has died… And I have to replace her…

Caladium… What happened to her? Did she commit suicide? Was she murdered? Either way, she is now gone…forever. I will never see her again. She will arrive back in District Nine in a box, her skin chalky and waxy… Her eyes closed…

And I may will return to District Nine just like that… The Games begins tomorrow. Just tomorrow! How can I prepare myself for that? I don't even get the chance to make allies. Or to examine other Tributes, especially the Careers…

If I'm entering the Games, then I'm screwed…

"No!" Rose wails. "Caladium died? What happened? And why are you replacing her with my own _daughter_, you fucking bitch!"

Lilac cackles to herself, "Sure, sure, call me a 'bitch' whenever you like. About Caladium…she died in an accident… And Katherine, or Kat should I say, is a friend of Caladium's, so she is the best replacement Tribute."

"And she should be honoured!" a squeaky girl with blazing strawberry hair shrills. Lilac sends her a quick glare.

"Shut up, Cherryy. Anyway, now we have to take Kat, because the Games just begin tomorrow, and she needs a beauty sleep," Lilac says. She jerks her thumb at me, signalling two men to carry me. Rose and Danielle struggle against the ropes that tie them. Rose shrieks in fury and agony as I'm dragged away.

"Kat! Kat! I love you dear! Please fight to survive! Please! Return to me and your family, do it for Caladium and me!" she screams, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Remember me, don't forget me! Remember that you have that tattoo on your ankle to remind you of me… Just don't give up…"

The men drag me down the corridor, the lights above our heads glare down, casting orange colours against the walls. I immediately recognise my half-brother and step-father. They are also tied up in thick ropes. I give them a teary smile. My brother, Hawk, shouts out when he sees me. However a rainbow-haired man with cat-eyes kicks him hard on the shin, which causes Hawk to shriek out in pain and double over.

_Why do they have to torture my family like this? They already got me! I'm allowing them to take me, so why do they have to hurt my family?_

Despite my thoughts swirling inside my head, I stay silent, allowing the men to drag me out of my own house. It is dark outside, with the stars glittering in the midst of the black sky. The streets are dark and dirty, flooded with litter and mud. A soft sheet of icy rain fall onto our drenched backs. The soft sheen of moonlight illuminates the mauled buildings surrounding us.

I peer through my thick eyelashes at a dark shadow in front of me. A hovercraft…

The doors slide open, light flood out onto the street. Lilac walks in with the rest of the dark strangers in tow. I groan as I'm dragged on, the headache in my forehead burning even more outrageously. The two men pick me up into a vice-like grip and they take off down a corridor, dragging me in between them. I gasp as they throw me into a dark room. The hard impact of the throw causes me to wince and gasp for breath, I slowly crawl up to the bare wall on the freezing, solid floor. The door immediately close and the room lapses into darkness…

Then it opens again and a tall, slender shadow comes in. The person walks closer to me, the sound of their high-heels clank noisily on the hard floor. Once the person is up close, I can see who is it: Lilac. She smiles derisively down at me, the eyes flashing with malice...

"Get some sleep. You are going into the arena tomorrow…"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry about my late update! I had been busy with parties and revision -.- And I was meant to update yesterday but forgot :/ Anyway, was this a surprise to you all? Confused still? I'll explain.

So, the creator of Caladium actually messaged me, saying me that I can always just kill off her character; so yeah, I felt…discouraged to keep Cal alive. Then I started speaking to the lovely Acereader55 who suggested that I have a new character, so you have all met Ace's (soz, but I'm gonna call you that ;)) tribute called Kat. I know it's a bit unexpected and unrealistic, but I wanted a an unpredictable surprise in store. And was this predictable? No.

So, anyway, thanks to Acereader55 for Katherine! Also, hopefully tomorrow I can update the bloodbath chapter. Oh, don't worry, I'm not gonna delay the bloodbath chapter with another 'surprise' chapter ;)

So, please, please review to tell me what you think on the characters in this. What are your thoughts on Kat? Also, remember to add this story to your alert lists so you won't miss any updates :)


	4. Let The Games Begin!

**Bloodbath- Let the Games begin!**

* * *

**District Nine**

_**Joona Riddy's **_**POV**

"Joona, wake up!"

My eyes fly open. I blink warily up at Rose. She stares down at me, her long, red nails lightly skimming over my shoulders. The last thing I notice is the tears…on her face.

"Why are you crying?" I ask tentatively, slowly sitting up in the king-size bed. Rose glances at me, tears well up in her eyes once again. She swallows and bites feebly onto her plum, bottom lip.

"Joona, you know Caladium…yeah?" she says slowly, as if she hates what she is going to say.

"Yeah, she's my District Partner," I say indifferently. A beam brightens up my face. I remembered! I remembered who Caladium is!

"Well…last night, she passed away. She died…"

My eyebrows furrow together to form a deep, permanent frown. "What do you mean? Isn't she supposed to die in…the arena? You and the Mentors told us that we are going to die in the arena."

Rose stares at me with wide, naïve eyes. "Did we say _that_?" she asks in dismay.

"Yes. I remember it…"

"Oh goodness. I hadn't been very nice to you two, haven't I?" she murmurs quietly to herself, "Well, Joona. She…"- she gulps heavily- "died last night. Slavius killed her. And the Head Gamemaker came…and she killed him. He bled to death. So, you only have me and the other Mentor."

"Slavius and Caladium…are dead?" I say in dismay, not believing for a second what Rose is claiming.

"Yes," she says expressionlessly. "You now have a different District Partner. Her name is Katherine McManus. The President says you are not allowed to meet her, he doesn't want any of us to meet her. But you will see her in the arena today."

"Today?" I ask, completely clueless.

""Yes, it's today!" Rose nearly shouts aloud, frowning at me as she stares at me, bewildered. "Didn't you know?"

"Well…" I swallow, trying to make up some quick accuse. "Time went by quickly."

"Okay…" She nods, assured. "Yeah, time does fly by very quickly… Anyway, it's time for you to get up and eat and go to the launch room." She flashes me one of her enticing smiles. "Up you get!"

I blink at her blankly. How can she completely transform from one person to another? Does she really care about Caladium? I inhale sharply, suddenly noticing the horrible ach in my throat. I groan involuntarily, but immediately ignore the pain. My body worries are often at the back of my mind; I don't register them fully.

Rose leaves the room for me to get dressed. My eyes dart instantly to the clock mounted above the lean mirror that is propped lopsidedly against the wall. It is too late for me to take a shower. _Oh well, I can have one tonight._

My forehead instantly form a frown. _No, no, Joona, you won't have a shower tonight, because you can't._ Why can't I? _Because…because_, I think deeply, _I'm going into the arena._

I turn my back onto the fresh wooden door leading to the bathroom, and face the pile of clothes in the corner of the large room. There are the clothes I wore at the Reaping, the morning of the Train Rides and the Training Days. I had never allowed any of the Capitol attendants take them. I wanted to keep them…to remember. To remember clearly.

I carefully prise the pile of clothing apart, looking for my Reaping outfit. There, at the bottom of the pile, is my Reaping outfit. Gently, I pull them out and slip them on. Hopefully, nobody will notice the outfit… Hopefully…

With that done, I walk out of the room, casting one last look at the cream white walls and fluffy white carpets and the wide windows. It had been a luxury. A luxury I never had, and will never have again…

It is a memory I should keep forever… Despite being picked on by other Tributes, I had the best time in my life ever. I met so many people that it hurts my head to remember them all, but they all had been so joyful. So bright and positive towards me. They were nothing like my father.

The smallest thought of my father makes me wince slightly as I walk down the corridor. _Why did my father hate me? What did I do to him? Why would he slap me at every moment when I accidentally do something bad, like breaking a plate or something?_

Suddenly, a sickening sweet smell of metallic blood flows towards me. I swirl around, finding myself faced with the closed door of Caladium's bedroom. My entire façade crumbles. My shoulders slump down. Caladium had been my friend… We barely spoke or anything but she would comfort me, tell me that everything is alright as we attend the Training at the Centre. She was there for me. And now she isn't…

Who would be Katherine? What would she be like? Why am I not allowed to meet her this morning? Is it because the President wants to keep her identity as hidden as possible? Why? Does he want the Tributes to panic more? And why is she the chosen one to replace Caladium?

I guess, everyone are going to watch out for her…

"Come on!"

The sudden shout jolts me back to my senses, I blink up at my Mentor. The only Mentor left now. She stares down at me, not a trace of any empathy in her eyes. I wrinkle my eyebrows, trying to recall her name…

"What do you think you're doing standing around here?" she snaps, sneering slightly at me. I gulp involuntarily and outwardly avoid her intense eyes. I skirt around her and jog to the dining room. Behind me, I hear the burst of laughter rumbling out of her and a small whisper, "He's pathetic…"

"Darling, come here and have some food," Rose's voice brings me abruptly back to the reality. I nod at her and sit down. I gaze at the food in front of me, and without anybody urging me on, I instantly dig into it…

Everything blurs by straight after I have eaten. Once I was finished with my breakfast, Rose took me out of our floor, she didn't even allow me a spare second to say a goodbye to the floor. She guided me to the elevator and zoomed us straight to the roof. And on the roof, I get the sight of the first hovercraft I ever seen. I was led to beneath the hovercraft and the thing lashed out a trail of ladders. Once I touched the white ladder, I froze. Not freezing from the shock, but freezing because the ladder made me. And I was transferred up into the hovercraft. In the hovercraft, it was all so fast, a woman in white clothing jabbed me with something. She muttered to me that it is a device or something. Then the hovercraft zoomed off to the launchroom…

Right now, I'm finally in my launchroom. The room contains an incredible large lack of colour. The walls, floor and ceiling are pure white with not a single window. There is a bare, metal table in the centre of the box-like room. And there is my stylist.

"Hello, kiddie!" she greets me, smiling for the hundredth time. "Your big, big day has come, hasn't it? Oh, and we have your arena outfit here. I had been studying it for a while before you arrived. But it's pretty obvious what it is…"

She smiles again and holds out a pile of crisp white clothing in her arms. She motions for me to take off my Reaping clothing. I obey her reluctantly, slipping off the only thing that would remind me of my old life- yes, I don't have a token… My stylist helps me willing with the tight, white arena outfit. Once the entire outfit is on, my stylist points out at the features on the clothing.

"The fabric is light and rather wispy; indicating that the arena you are destined for is has a hot temperature. The trousers are baggy and long- so they are easy to run in," the stylist says casually, smiling as she points out at the clothing. She obviously loves clothes. "But the nearly the entire outfit is snow white. The shoes are black and heavy, but they have a sturdy material to help you climb things. And it seems that you have a navy blue tie around your neck and a white hat…"

She frowns for a moment. "And it looks similar to what sailors wear… That is what I don't get…is the arena going to be a _boat_?"

"That doesn't make sense…" I mutter.

"Exactly!" she suddenly shrieks out. "How could the arena-"

She is abruptly interrupted by the automatic voice booming above our heads, "You must now enter the tube. It is now time."

She glances up at the ceiling expectedly, as if she is expecting someone to be clinging onto the ceiling. She briefly shakes her long mane of golden hair. "Damn, it's time for you to go. Well, good luck! And please, _please_ win for me- I have already designed your outfits for your Victory Tour!"

That comment makes me chuckle a little. "What about Katherine?"

She waves her hand dismissively. "Oh, I don't know her! Also her stylist- Caladium's old stylist when she was…well, alive- is designing hers. Anyway! You must get on into the launch pad now! Good luck, kiddie!"

"Thank you…" I smile at her, and she returns the beam, flashing her neon yellow teeth at me. "Thank you for everything, you and the others really made me enjoy my moment here. It was the best time I ever had in my life. Thanks."

That comment suddenly made my stylist's face collapse. The lovely smile on her face is lost. She watches me silently as I make my way into the tube. I swallow nervously, watching as the glass tube surrounds me. I glance at her for a moment. There are visible tears in her hazel eyes, flaking her thick, fake eyelashes as they leak out. _Why is she sad? Is she sad to see me go?_

Just before the launch pad starts to lift me to my doomed fate, I suddenly remember something. I don't even _know_ her name! I slam my palms against the glass and shout loudly, "WHAT IS YOUR NAME?"

But it is too late. The glass launch pad has enveloped me into total blackness. I don't even know her name… Why did I never ask? I inhale and exhale deeply as the lift rumbles beneath my feet. I try to steady my breathing as the hole above me opens to bright, dazzling sunlight…

And I'm suddenly in the arena… Fat and juicy like a lamb ready for their inevitable kill…

* * *

**District One**

_**Gemma Larkson's **_**POV**

"_Ladies and gentlemen, let the Seventh Quarter Quell begin!"_

The sunlight hits me.

And I'm blinded. I shriek unhappily, blinking rapidly, desperate for my eyes to adjust to the new light. I can't waste my first couple seconds being blinded. I need every precise second to examine the arena I'm in and the new Tribute. A bellowing voice above my head shouts out the countdown with vulgarity. Julius Templesmith. The son of the famous Claudius Templesmith; the Hunger Games commentator. He will be the one to announce the Final Eight, the Feast or twist and the Victor of the Games…

Five seconds pass by, and finally my eyes readjust. I fly my eyes around, taking in every absolute detail. Of course, there are no golden, glistening horns in the centre; only nothing. There are no trace of supplies or weapons in the centre of the circle which the Tributes stand in. I already know this, but I didn't think it would be frightening to see nothing there… It will be more difficult for my alliance to find weapons and supplies in order to survive…

Next, I dart my eyes at the Tributes beside me. There is the midget girl from District Five- her eyes wide with prominent fear- standing on the right side of me. Then there is Gino Cosimo standing on the left side of me. Nothing to worry- even if Gino appears to be stronger than me- because I'm a Career… No one would cross my steps. They won't even think about daring it.

Only fifteen seconds left! I frantically glance straight at the surroundings. And it immediately confuses me. It appears to be iron blocks of buildings. The whitewashed paint covering the iron walls are peeling off. The ground is made of completely wood, splintering in various of places. There are poles, all pointing directly up at the clear sky, standing on many iron blocks of buildings.

I crane my neck towards the left. There is the endless view of a clear, blue ocean…

Then I instantly realise what is the arena…

We are on a ship.

_A ship!_

And I'm confirmed correct when I see the iron railings. The railings that stops anybody from falling from the ship. We are on a _ship_. There had been nothing like this before!

A small smile plays with my lips. _This is going to be fun!_

Suddenly, the gong echoes across the arena, announcing the Games to begin. I immediately lurch into a sprint, my feet pounding violently against the wooden floor. There are already screams. Already grunting noise from the Careers as they chase a certain person. The chaos has began.

A small cackle spills from my lips. Let the fun begin! Let the killing be made. Let my victory game start…

Promptly, I shove the thoughts out of my head, willing myself to focus. I glance around, looking for a new girl who my escort told me and Shine told us about. Her name is Katherine. I _need_ to kill her immediately. She is the largest threat now out of all of us. Solely because I don't know absolutely _anything_ about her! My eyes frantically fly around the circle, searching for somebody new. But I find nobody.

Then immediately I spot a blur of a light brown haired girl. The girl is rather petite and slender. She is very fast on her nimble feet, and she is running directly away from the non-existent Cornucopia. Before I can run after her, she disappears out of nowhere…

_Damn, damn, damn! _I grit my teeth together, furrowing my brow together. Fine, I'll get somebody else. I _have _to kill someone at the start. It is to prove my strength to the Careers and it is to decrease the number of Tributes I have to face later…

The first person I see is the mousy haired girl from District Five running from the bloodbath. _What is her name?_ Ugh, who cares about her name! She is a weakling and is definitely a bloodbath. She is going to be my first kill…

I suddenly sprint after the tiny girl, watching as her hair sway behind her back. She is fairly slow- well, she is fast, but not as fast as me- so I catch up with her easily. My legs fly out from me without any help from me. I'm _that_ desperate…

Eventually, I catch up with her until I'm right behind her. I lash out my hand, grabbing a vice-like grip onto her loose hair- thank god, she isn't wearing a hat like the males. Not a single shriek spills from her lips. She doesn't make the smallest sound as she crumbles down to the ground, held underneath my vice-like grip. I watch for a second as she struggles beneath my hands, her legs kicking on the ground. I crawl over her flat torso, keeping her trapped. She stares up at me with wide, doe eyes, looking like a deer caught in the headlights…

This reference to a deer makes me chuckle airily. This kid is _doomed_ as a bloodbath. _Shame to be her… _I tenderly bring my willowy fingers up to her soft face and brush along her smooth jaw. She shivers violently beneath my fingertips… She is scared of me… Again, I chuckle. The fear radiating off her gives me a deep pleasure…

I should get use to doing this more often…

"Cat got your tongue?" I sneer smarmily, the corners of my lips tipping upwards. "Oh, wait, I forgot! You're a _mute_, huh? Good, I don't need another round of _screaming_ going on here."

That comment got the girl to gasp breathily. She heaves in swallow breathes as she watches me expectedly with fear flashing across her doe-like eyes… A smirk grows onto my face, my cheeks blossom with a fresh flush of excitement. She's genuinely weak. So weak that this is going to be so _easy_! She will be able to feign off somebody like me…

I reach the locks of dark brown hair and grasp them tightly. _Time for my first kill…_ Already, I can imagine bashing her head against the hard flooring and watching her skull form a bloody dent… The adrenaline rushing throughout me is uncontrollable; I can't tame it under control… I slowly raise her small head by pulling up a fistful of her hair. She closes her eyes…preparing for her death…

I scream.

I'm knocked off her and flying through mid-air and crashing across the hard, splintered flooring more five feet away from my _victim_. I rub my forehead which burns in agony at the hard impact of the fall, my fingertips lightly brush over the bad bruise forming between my eyebrows. I swallow away the blood that tasted metallic on my bitten tongue…and I crane my neck towards the girl.

There, helping her up, is a boy. I try to recall him. He has dark, messy hair and a solid, lanky frame- he is the District Five male. And he is the girl's District Partner and ally…

Rage erupts throughout me as I push myself up onto my feet and I dash for them. The boy flicks his eyes towards me, recognising me as he shoves the girl in the opposite direction from me. The girl glances around frantically, fear etched across her face.

"Go, go, go now!" the boy shouts at her before I lurch straight into him. He is knocked to the ground, his arms flailing around helplessly. The girl stares at the battle with hopelessness registering in her eyes… She knows I won't ever give up…

"Go now, Nicolet! Just get away, I'll come soon, just go!" the boy screeches loudly, his eyes darting between me and the girl.

"Ah, so you're protecting the _girl_." A sly grin spreads across my face. "I think this game will be more fun if I play with you both…"

The boy's face contorts with a mixture of rage and fear. He waves his hands around frantically at Nicolet who watches the fight with wide eyes. "Go, go now, Nicolet!"

Eventually, the girl's senses return. She glances at me, tears brimming at the edges of her eyes, and she spins on her heel to sprint off in the opposite direction… The boy heaves in a deep, relived sigh.

"You know I'll get her soon… And you won't be able to help her then, because you'll be dead by the time…" I tell him slowly, pausing to allow the words soak into his mind. He swallows hard, anger flickering across his face.

"We'll see about that!" he shouts. In a lightning speed, he leaps back to his feet and lunges for me. I smirk. _Now, this is a proper fight…_ I easily block his blows and quick punches. He grimaces as he slowly realises that I'm a better fighter than he is… His Adam-apple bobs up and down awkwardly- he is _nervous_…

A sharp screech draws my attention. My eyes shift towards my District Partner: Shine Parkhill. A gasp ripples out from my lips when the District Eight girl swings a hard punch at his face, breaking his perfect nose and causing blood to drip freely down his face… _No, don't think about him… _I turn my entire focus back onto the boy, my eyes landing onto his flying, round fist. The moment of distraction has toppled me off, so the boy's fist makes contact with my face…

Pain erupts throughout my face. Despite the pain, more determination courses through me; this guy is not going _anywhere_… The desperation registering in me urges me on to smack into the boy, Dade is perhaps his name, and fall to the ground with him. A sharp gasp escapes his lips as the impact of hitting the hard ground knocks his breath out of him. He swallows repeatedly with a desperate urge in him, he fumbles his fingers around, looking for some way to get away from beneath me… But it's too late…

I reach over to his head and knock the white cap atop of his head to the ground and my willowy fingers slowly wrap themselves around loose, wispy strands of his dark hair. He stares up at me, incredulous of what I'm about to do…

I grit my teeth as I yank his head forcibly through the air and smash it against the hard, wooden floor. He gasps, the breathy sound almost audible, his eyes widen hopelessly. Before he can take another deep breath to steady his swallow breathing, I smash his head against the floor again. A smirk stretches across my face as I watch pain and agony etch across his helpless face, as his skin pales, as his dark blood begin to smear the floor…

Again, again and again I bash his head repeatedly against the floor. There is no canon. Only shrieks of a nearby fight echo across the arena… Eventually, I prevent myself from hitting his head more by heaving in a deep breath. I glance down at Dade. And the look on his face gives me pleasure… His eyes are lifeless and dead.

_My first ever kill… And it was brilliant!_

* * *

**District Ten**

_**Lynx Rachen's**_** POV**

We're on a ship? _Seriously?_

It is hard for me to contain my excitement as the cannon erupts across the arena, pounding against my eardrums. The nervousness I felt when I realised we are on a ship dwindles and eventually disappear.

My eyes roam around, looking for my allies as I run. My feet echo noisily on the wooden flooring which automatically tells me that it will quite difficult for the Career pack to hunt Tributes… _But that is something to worry about later…_

Suddenly, the girl from District Eight flies across my vision, fleeing wildly from Shine who's chasing her towards the grey buildings. The girl's face is etched with a fierce determination I had never seen before… The usual frightened look on the girl's face has disappeared. Was it all an act?

The loud grunts immediately draw my senses back to the reality, I flick my eyes straight towards Shine and the girl. Shine has just knocked the girl to the ground and the blonde girl is struggling back at him. She shrieks with desperation and frustration to get away, her blue eyes clouded with hatred. Shine walks over to her, watching her crawl away from him on the ground with an arrogant smirk on his face. He kneels down next to her, his eyes roaming over her slender figure, a brief flash of lust cross through his blue/green eyes. The girl glares at him, her nostrils flaring furiously, she pauses for a second; watching. As Shine draws nearer to her, she suddenly kicks out at him with all of her strength and determination.

Shine screeches as he tumbles backwards from the hard impact of the girl's blow. He is knocked four feet away from her; therefore the girl takes this smallest chance to jump to her feet. Shine stares at her, anger and disbelief registering in his eyes as she strides leisurely towards him.

"Don't you dare ever cross my path!" the girl bellows with rage contorting her pretty face. The anger in her face automatically transforms her face into an ugly, red devil-like face. She glares down at Shine, who's boring his eyes into hers. She raises her left foot, readying herself for the hard kick.

I just watch the entire event with a shocked look on my face. Any situation like this is unbelievable- a Career being beaten by an underdog in the bloodbath. It is extremely rare, but can happen. To a Career, it's shameful to die like this by the hands of an underdog, but to an underdog, it's a miracle.

Shine's eyes dart around frantically. There is no weapon here for him to use on her. No weapon ideal enough to help him… He is weapon-less… He knows it. And she knows it, so she is going use him as weapon-less right now as an advantage to kill him… But he's my ally…

Just before the girl kicks out forcibly, Shine spots me watching the event with wide eyes and he shrieks out for help. Once I hear his frightened voice, I'm jolted back to my senses… I instantly spring to action, my feet thundering on the wooden flooring as I storm towards the battle. However, I'm too late to protect Shine from the first powerful kick. The blonde girl grins maliciously as she repeats the hard kicks, her tiny feet lashing out at Shine's perfect face.

The screams of pain that ripples from Shine's lips brings me to immediately knock the District Eight girl to the floor. She glances up in surprise, her eyes landing onto mine. Her lips open and close like a fish gasping in free air. She is speechless… She looks almost like she doesn't know what happened…

"Are you alright, Shine?" I ask Shine. I almost wince at the sight of the blood drizzling from his battered nose and dripping down his bruised face. He looks like a wretch… Would that make him lose sponsors?

"Yes, I'm fine. Don't let that brat get away," he snaps harshly, spit flying from his bloodied, cracked lips. I sharply look at the blonde girl who glares up at me, slowly crawling away on her arms.

"You're not going anywhere," I hiss at the girl. She widens her eyes in remote fear as she watches me storm towards her. When I reach her, I grab a handful of her soft hair and yank her flat down onto the floor. She whimpers as she stares up at me, tears pooling in her pretty eyes. "Sorry, sweetheart, you're not going anywhere. Anyway, you should be happy that you are going be back in your District soon…in your box…"

The last comment immediately have her shrieking and struggling in my arms, she flails her arms around furiously and kicks her legs out beneath me. Sweat form a soft, glossy sheen on her face as she struggles for her life…

"Get off her."

My eyebrows instantly perk up. I recognise the familiar voice. Shine. Why is he telling me to get off her? I'm helping him! I grit my teeth, grinding them together, and lean back into a standing position. I turn towards my ally, who's staring at me with narrow, judging eyes…

"Now go and get another Tribute. We need more killed in this bloodbath," Shine orders as he briefly brushes away the dripping, dark blood on is chin. My eyebrows immediately knit together to form a frown, I dart my eyes at the corner of my eyes towards the girl. I jerk my thumb over my shoulder at the crawling girl.

"What about the midget?" I ask before taking a small, hesitant step backwards, preparing myself to run after another Tribute…

"The name's Lavender," the girl snaps, fury registering again in her pale, delicate face.

"Whatever," I hiss directly at her. I turn my entire focus onto Shine again.

Shine rolls his eyes exasperatedly. "She's mine. I'll do her, simply because…she did this to my face"- he jerkily points his index finger at his bruised, battered face- "so I'm killing her myself. I got it; don't worry. Now go and get another one."

Lavender is staring at us with disgust prominent in her eyes. She knows we are talking about killing her, and Shine is debating it as if it nothing… Nothing… Like her death will be nothing. I shake my head, but immediately say, "Of course, she's yours."

The disgust I feel inside me is as powerful as a tidal wave. I turn my back on them reluctantly and I jog off in the opposite direction. Thinking about it now; why was I disgusted? I practically nearly killed her myself… I'd have bashed her head against the hard floor without even thinking. I'm a Career… Shine is a Career…so he doesn't care about killing. Like how I should feel…

Hang on a minute…wasn't I planning to backstab the Careers sometime at the beginning of the Games? Why didn't I just let Lavender end Shine's life so I would have less Careers to kill myself? I grit my teeth together hard, clenching and unclenching my firm jaw with frustration. Why wasn't I thinking?

A small shuffle of running footsteps automatically draw my senses back to the reality and I sharply dart my eyes at the white, block building directly next to me. The noise is coming from behind the dark blue painted door. I instantly run for the door and swing it open. Inside, there is a narrow, dark corridor with red doors running in rows along the white walls. Deeper into the corridor, the light gradually decreases… I glance frantically at the walls, looking if there is a lights switch. To my luck, there is a small, black switch. I run my calloused fingers over it, switching the dim lights to life. The lights are fairly dim, but they are enough for me to see the two running figures further down the corridor.

I remember them both faintly. They are the District Eleven Tributes. Both of whom are petite with wiry limbs- I can take them on easily.

The girl with vibrate green eyes promptly halts in the middle of the corridor and swirls around on her heel to face me. Her eyes flash with a tidal wave of mixed emotions: fear, determination and anger… The boy with tightly curled hair atop of his round skull slowly turns and waits, probably pausing for his ally, there are prominent fear flickering through his eyes, and his forehead has a throbbing vein poking gauntly with a slight tremor.

I grin crookedly and begin to stride with vibrating confidence towards them. The lights on the chandeliers flicker with weak light which cast spooky shadows along the walls…

"Ready to die?" the girl hisses at me, sneering and baring her pure white teeth. She slowly swings the pack-bag she is gripping tightly in her right hand. My eyebrows perk up at the welcoming sight of it…

I _need_ that… All of the Career will need that. They will want as much supplies as possible… So, I have to take it away from the girl…

Suddenly, I charge in a sprint at her. Her eyes widen briefly before she takes a small step back, watching me. The boy whimpers loudly, his face pale as he steps behind the girl as they watch me charge at them. The girl doesn't even wince as I draw nearer. She isn't scared of me… She is fearless.

Abruptly, I run into her with a powerful force which knocks her down to the floor. I grin even wider, exposing the gleaming teeth of mine which glisten like shark's teeth in the light.

"In answer to your question- no, I'm not ready to die… But are you, weakling?" I taunt her. The second I utter the word 'weakling' she growls threateningly and swings the dense bag in the air above her, trying to hit me with it. I avoid the bag neatly, my lips curling upwards to grace the brooding smile on my face. _This is going to be easy-peasy…_

But it's murder…

_No. It is not. This is the arena… You have to kill…_

The boy exhales a sharp gasp as his ally leaps up onto her nimble feet. I raise one eyebrow, impressed, looks like this girl is a strong fighter if she is not going to give up… The green eyes of the girl's meet my murky brown ones. The anger and malice in her eyes force my smile to collapse slowly. She takes a big step forward and swings the bag once again.

The bag hits me right before I can dodge it. It immediately gives me a throbbing bruise on my left bicep, which gives me the acknowledgment that whatever is inside the bag is heavy and hard. Despite whatever it is, it is still a weapon useful for her to kill me with…

She swings again. The heavy bag hits me before I can think to duck. I grunt and grit my teeth at the forceful impact, my entire face immediately transform into a fierce, hard and callous one with no trace of humanity left… The girl notices this and automatically realises the anger vibrating throughout me and her eyes widen in remote fear. She knows that I'm stronger than her…

"Aw, scared? Huh?" I snarl at her, outwardly ignoring the boy besides us. The girl gulps a brief moment. "What is your name, by the way?"

"Why should I tell you?" she snaps, suddenly becoming defensive again.

"Oh, just wanted to know. Whatever, it doesn't matter now," I comment. And suddenly I charge at her again, knocking her to the ground. She gasps in surprise and her hand uncurl and releases the bag. I smirk as I watch the bag slip from her hand, I step forward and push it against the wall- now she can't reach it. I kneel down onto her chest, drawing my knees together atop of her flat chest and I curl my calloused fingers around her slender throat…

Before I begin to squeeze the life out of her, she darts her eyes to the right; towards her ally. Her cracked lips part open and she rasps out, "Go, go, Jontha! Don't stay here… He would kill you as well… Go… Do it for me…"

The boy, supposedly named Jontha, stares at her, incredulous. He swallows hard, the Adam-apple bobbing down his throat. "But-"

"No. Go now!" the girl shouts out in a barely audible voice. Jontha clenches his jaw, but nods reluctantly. He spins on his heel and dashes off down the corridor, soon he disappears around the sharp corner of the white corridor. I roll my eyes exasperatedly. _I'll get him later…_

"Now…listen darling- are you ready to die now?" I sneer menacingly down at the girl who stares up at me without batting an eyelid. I have to give credit for her courage, to be honest… Nobody like her would stare defiantly at me before I kill them…

"Yes… Just get it done with…" she croaks out. I blink, bewildered that this girl is already giving up now… _Shame, I wanted more of a fight…_

"Fine." I tighten my fingers around her smooth throat, the muscles in my fingers clenching as they grip onto her neck like a vice. I slowly squeeze her throat, watching as her face reddens, watching as her eyes bulge out of their sockets. Watching as the life is slowly drained out of her… She gasps for breath like a fish in open air, her chest heave with swallow breathes. She is dying…

_And I'm killing her…_

Despite the thoughts swirling around inside my skull, I ignore them and continue with the process efficiently. Eventually, she breathes her last breath… And her slender limbs fall limb. She is dead… No canon fire, but I know this is the bloodbath, so her canon will fire later on.

…She is dead.

My first ever kill… And the adrenaline shooting through me is still as strong and present as it was during strangling her.

* * *

**District Eight**

_**Tyler Levitt's **_**POV**

The desperate adrenaline rushing throughout me pushes me on in a fast sprint as I dash away from the small but very vicious Madelyn Rosegold.

Once the gong sounded, announcing the Games to begin, she made an incredible dash for me. And, unfortunately, she was on the launch pad on the left side of me… When I saw her charging for me, I knew she has solely one thought and purpose set in her brain: to kill me. I mean, the anger and blood-thirstiness in her flaring eyes were so prominent and strong that no one can ignore the desperation she contains to kill me.

She chased me on those nimble legs. She never gave up. She flew after me all the way to the white, block buildings on the ship surrounding us. I decided not to go into the buildings, as I didn't want to risk it- there are perhaps traps inside the buildings. Therefore, I ran to the brim of the ship, where an iron railing runs along the side of the ship, and I rushed down the narrow corridor between the buildings and the railing.

And still, I'm being chased by Madelyn down the corridor…

She is fast, but not as big and strong as me. The problem is, she is probably better at fighting than me- she is skilled, whereas I'm not with any kind of weapon. Also, the anger in her eyes drives her to kill me, no matter what…

Already, I'm scared of her.

To me, she is like some kind of child demon…

I pant heavily for breath as I sprint down the corridor, steering clear from the low railings beside me. If I get nearer to them, I can easily trip and fall over the railings… But wouldn't that be better? Don't I know that I will die in this arena? Don't I want an easier death? And drowning is a lot easier than being tortured slowly to death by Madelyn.

The faint, small footsteps behind me thunder after me, echoing on the hard, splintered wooden flooring. Why does she want to kill me so much?

What did I do to her?

Oh hang on a minute…didn't I interrupt a _game_ of hers in the Training Centre? It was me who stopped Dunolos from attacking her… Well, I guess she wants her revenge then. _Oh how great._

I swallow sharply, realising my thirstiness as my tongue rubs on calloused, dry skin inside my mouth. In front of my eyes, I recognise a sharp curve of the corridor. With a deep inhale, I skid and sprint off around the corner. A small chuckle ripples out from me when I hear the small crash of Madelyn hitting the railings because she is too late to slow down around the curve.

Suddenly, I halt. Directly four or five feet away from me is a shiny weapon… The first weapon I have spotted so far… It is a glistening silver, razor sharp hatchet. The gleaming blade glitters in the boiling sunlight… A weapon. Already, I know it is too heavy and big for Madelyn to hold, but I know she will try to use it on me… So, I can't let her have it.

I dash over to it and fumble my fingers around the dense, wooden handle. Carefully, I pick up the sliver axe. It is very heavy which makes me grunt with determination to pick it up. I'm not the strongest person, but I'm not the weakest. I can survive…if I urge myself to. I slowly turn around, the sole of my feet sliding on the floor as I pivot to face Madelyn, who is picking herself up from the railings.

Once Madelyn's eyes fall onto the axe, they widen. She grits her teeth fiercely, her willowy, tanned hands curl into fists, the muscles cording her skinny arms throb out gauntly as she strides towards me. She isn't scared of me…even if I have a weapon and she is weapon-less…

"You think you can beat me?" she spits out with loath and scorn. Her eyes wander down from my crystalline eyes to the hatchet gripped in my calloused palm. Suddenly, she bursts out laughing. "Do you really know what you are doing?"

"Oh. Nope, I don't. I think I'm going to swing it at myself and chop off my own head. I'm that stupid," I say with sarcasm. She squints her eyes at me.

"We'll see…" She hesitates before saying, "Shall we begin to play?"

"You start first," I tell her. She smirks and automatically jumps into action. With swift movements, she lurches for me, her legs kicking out on the floor with determination. Fear suddenly consume me as she charges for me. I heave in a deep inhale of breath before swaying the weapon lightly around.

Madelyn lunges for me, her long fingers out-stretched, however she ducks back before I swing the axe at her face. She grits her teeth with exasperation. She knows she is powerless now if I have a weapon… Despite the risk, she lunges for me again once my axe is out of hitting range.

Her sharp nails rake through my left cheek when she lashes at me, I grunt at the pain that shoots through my cheek. Blood drizzle from the three cuts. She grins wildly, her eyes flashing.

"Now we both share the same wounds," she says, jerking her index finger up to her face, directly pointing at the nail marks on her scarred face. A brief flash of memory flick through my mind when I recall Dade digging his nails through her face at the Training Centre…

While she laughs about the similarity of our wounds, I take the narrow chance and I swing my weapon directly at her. She gasps as the axe flies at her… She tries to take a quick step back but she is too late. Just before the axe's sharp blade make contact with her face, she brings up her left hand to block the blow.

…Bad move…

Luckily, the blade is facing the right way, so the sharp edge of it cuts through her flesh on the wrist. She screams out a blood-curdling screech, the harsh sound stab knives at my eardrums. Once her screaming stops, she opens her eyes slowly and peers down at her hand…

Well, the hand is no longer there.

The axe has chopped it off…

…I have chopped it off.

Blood flow freely from her bloody stump. A small wail spills from her lips. The agony that she is experiencing is visible as pain etch across her small face. I gulp, my face pale immediately as I watch the blood flow from her hand in a small river. Coldness spreads through me. The hairs on the back of my neck rise up…

I have never hurt anybody before like this…

Despite my hatred for the girl, I itched terribly to help her…

She is just a child. Someone who is forced to butcher others, like me. She doesn't deserve this…

I swallow again, feeling the bob of my Adam-apple on my stubby throat. I take a several hesitant steps backwards, edging away from her until I'm stopped by the cold iron railings. I crane my neck down at the roaring sea beyond me… I can just jump. All I have to do is jump… It would be over soon then…

I let loose of the axe, allowing it to fall limply down to the ground. The sound of the crashing of the axe collapsing on the floor pound against my eardrums… My eyes fall onto Madelyn. There are fury and a deeper, purer hatred for me in her eyes. She shifts her eyes down to the fallen, bloody axe… A smile grows onto her face.

She will chop me to pieces if I don't jump…

Suddenly, the slow motion of life is over and I'm automatically in a fast speed as I swirl around to face the railings. My feet hit the iron railings as I clamber over it. Madelyn is quicker than me. She ignore the blood flowing from her bloody stump as she carelessly picks up the axe with her right hand. Her eyes squint close together as she realises what I'm about to do…

"Oh no! You're not going anywhere before I get to kill you!" she bellows with rage lacing her voice. She leaps forward and swings the axe at me… I'm too late… Just before I can get over onto the other side of the railings, Madelyn makes a good aim at the middle of my back.

The sharp blade digs into my back…and the pain is unbearable… _Is this what it felt like for her when I chopped off her hand?_ I squeeze close my eyes at the pain coursing through my spine. I can feel Madelyn taking out the axe again as it leaves my bloody flesh. My crisp, white shirt is now not clean, but dirty with dark blood. The blood surround a large, bloody hole in my back; I can see it as I peer down over my shoulder… It looks horrible…

"Enjoying it?" Madelyn laughs. She makes another swing. This time it hits higher my back… And I know it has cut through my spine because I can't feel anything… The pain has disappeared…because the nerves in my spine are broken…

With frighten desperation, I clamber on the railings until I'm eventually on the other side. I swallow as I stare down. The fear rushing through me is gone… I know this is the right choice… I hear Madelyn grunting with displeasure as she watches me.

"Do you know there is a force-field? It will electrify you to death… You idiot," she snarls menacingly.

"I know," I say in response. I urge myself to prepare for the jump. However, it is too late for me to jump as Madelyn swings the axe at my head… And darkness clouds my vision…

* * *

**Dead Tributes in this chapter:**

Dunolos/Dade Porter. He's my own character, so he was doomed. We all loved you though! And I did give you quite a big part in this story ^_^ Also, here's a little spoiler, you- the readers- will perhaps find out more about Dunolos later…as I have plans…

Lesia Cinder. Sorry :( I loved you, you have a feisty personality and was so loyal to sweetheart Jontha. But sadly, I had to kill at least a female in the bloodbath…

Tyler Levitt. Oh gosh, I loved you! Unfortunately, your creator left Fanfiction and was not able to review anymore chapters. So, yeah, you were doomed ;(

* * *

**Author's Note:** So, so sorry that this is sooo long! And sorry about the late update, I still got exams to revise for and a huge art protect to complete. _And_ another reason for my delay in completing the bloodbath chapter is Tears of Blood is nearing its end! And there is going to be a sequel to it; it's going to be called 'Bring Them To Their Knees', and my character is in it! His name is Jet Matthews, and he is the District Two Tribute. So, I had been very busy with planning him and writing his chapter. Forgive me for the delay?

I know there are only three deaths, but according to the Quarter Quell twist for this, there are no Cornucopia so no weapons, therefore it was harder for the Careers to kill more people. And more people ran off, because there no supplies for them to get. So, I hope it is more realistic like that. Also, for the next chapters, I'll be doing two parts for each day, with still a ton of action packed in ;) And, yes, the arena is a ship! One random day, I day-dreamed of the Tributes battling on a ship, and I offically decided to make the arena a ship- even if it sounds unrealistic and cheesy ;)

Anyhow, please do review. That would be a pleasure and a nice way to make me smile ;)


	5. Mutts

**Day One-Part One- Mutts**

* * *

**District Five**

_**Nicolet Oaster's **_**POV**

Three gongs echo across the ship, vibrating beneath my feet as I shuffle along… Three deaths in the bloodbath… The bloodbath is officially over.

And one of the three deaths was Dunolos' death. And it was…my own fault…

My feet shuffle uselessly along the rough, wooden floor, my hands clinging onto the railing of the stairs as I stumble down towards the darkness below. My every movements are jerky and frail; too pathetic for me to walk quicker. My knees shake violently and clash against each other awkwardly, my bones are trembling weakly as the floor's vibrating work its way up my skinny legs.

Fear consume me as I walk _straight_ into the darkness of the buildings on the ship…

And the swirl-storm of emotions flashing throughout me doesn't help me entirely…

Flickering memories of Dunolos charging for Gemma and knocking her off me take power of my…mind… I can remember him fighting Gemma so vividly that it is like it happened not hours ago but minutes ago…

The memory of him telling me…to get away brings reluctant tears to my eyes. He sacrificed himself for me… He could have ran off, ignoring me completely, and survive until the Final Two and become the Victor. He would be able to return home and get back to his…brother. _Dade._ The one who was supposed to be in here; not Dunolos. Suddenly, speaking of Dade, I can't help but think about what Dade would be feeling back home in District Five… Would he feel remorse? Terror? Loss? Fear of being caught?

I swallow back a pile of vomit deep in my throat, forcibly shoving it back down in me as I slide along the wall down the corridor… Every time I think of Dunolos or his unknown brother, I always feel bile rising up inside me… Every time I blink, I catch glimpse of Dunolos' sparkling eyes and crooked grin…

_I miss him so much…_

Suddenly, a quick flash of the night when I got my _first ever_ kiss crosses my mind. I can practically feel Dunolos' soft lips moving across mine… I can feel his breath on my exposed skin. I can feel his lips on mine like it wasn't just last night…

I press my cracked, bloodied lips together, forcibly shoving the thoughts out of my head; I can't think about that right now…or I'll get distracted and get myself killed… I already nearly got myself killed for being too slow in the bloodbath.

A shudder roll over me in a tidal wave as I think of Gemma grabbing hold of my hair and shoving me down to the ground… I can remember her eyes as she played with me… She had azure, cat-like eyes, which automatically reminded me of a cat playing a mouse… And I'm a mouse. Therefore, she was playing with me…

_But_ Dunolos came back to protect me… He gave his own life on a silver platter to Gemma…

_Crash!_

My eyes spring up underneath my heavy eyelashes, looking directly into the empty darkness… There's _something…_or _someone _there… But who? Would they kill me? Or would they give me a second chance and allow me to get away? Should I act all innocent and sweet to them. Or make them unaware and oblivious of me… I can always sneak away…

_Crash!_

Another crash… My ears perk up as I realise that it is…nearer… Is it a mutt? I can't seem to hear any footsteps. I immediately hold in my breath, forcing my breathing to be swallow and quiet, so the…whatever it is can't hear me right away. I dig my cracked, yellow nails into the painted walls, softly peeling away a flake of the paint.

_Crash!_

"Oh _shit_," a sharp whisper fills the dead, silent corridor. I automatically wince in response to this comment. Basically because the person is _right_ next to me… I can literally hear their heavy breathing beside me. I can hear their faint footsteps now.

And the voice sound gruff and male. It is a boy… Is it a _Career_?

_Crash! Crash!_

My face twist into grimaces at the loud crashing noise. What is it? Is it a…weapon? Oh God, please don't let it be a weapon!

"Ugh," the boy says in a sharp breathy voice. There was a soft slumping against hard surface sound as the boy shifts around against the wall. There was a little grunting noise… Is the boy looking for something?

Suddenly…the lights along the corridor come to life…

A gasp ripple from my lips as a dazzling, bright light fall onto me, featuring my cheekbones in the neon lights. At first, I go slightly blind as I try to process them to adjust to the new, found light… Soon, my eyes fall onto a boy.

He stares back at me.

His eyes expand to the size of round saucepans. His face pales slowly as his eyes roam over my features. His left cheek begins to twitch with nervousness as the seconds tick by…

I recognise him… He's the boy from District Eleven.

My eyes skim over his entire body, looking for the source that would have been causing the loud noise. But there is…nothing. Not a _single_ metal blade that would clash against the wooden walls. Not a _single_ glimpse of a heavy bag or anything…

_So what was the crashing?_

"…Um, hi," Jontha whispers feebly. His eyes flicker anxiously along the corridor, glancing at the stairs leading up onto the platoon. "Are you…Nicolet Oaster?"

I gulp forcibly and make a small, tentative nod of my head. The rest of me doesn't even make a move to run away… Inside my head, I'm urging myself to run for my life, but my legs are unwilling to do _anything_… Not a single movement comes from them. It is like I'm glued in this exact spot… It's pretty obvious that I'm already an easy target for Jontha to kill…

Jontha shuffles his feet awkwardly. "So… I don't want to hurt you, so I'll let you get away…"

My eyebrows furrow together to form a surprised frown. _He is not going to hurt me?_

Jontha immediately notices my facial expression, and he sighs to himself. "Do you actually want me to _kill_ you?"

I'm taken aback. Momentarily, I ponder it. I consider about _dying_… I mean, what is the fuss about it? Death is an easy escape from the absolute reality of life… And don't I want to get the _hell_ out of this world? Without an ally or Dunolos, I won't be able to even get the chance to survive through the Games till the Final Eight…

Nor the Final Twelve, thinking about it…

Jontha twitches the corner of his lips nervously, as if he is unsure about the current situation. Like he doesn't know what to do… He shuffles on his feet along the wall, still facing me. He grits his teeth as his left leg swings limply against the wall. _His leg is…injured. That was what causing the noise…_

"Um… Nicolet, I know this is weird of me saying…but…do you want an ally?" Jontha asks in a feeble, weak voice that it trembles like a leaf shaking in a strong breeze. He swallows again tentatively like there is a lump in his throat. "Do you want to be…my ally…?"

I stare at him, my eyes expanding from the shock of what the situation apparently seems to be turning into… _Why would he want me to be his ally? I'm weak…pathetic and a mute, I would slow him down…_ My eyes shift down to his lifeless leg. He catches glimpse of me glancing at his injury. He bites softly down onto his lip as he looks down at himself.

"Sorry. I guess I would slow you down… Forget it. I was just wondering if you didn't want to be alone…like me…" Jontha murmurs weakly, his eyelashes conceal his eyes, blatantly avoiding my gaze.

With sudden fright coursing throughout me, I lurch forward, my scabby fingers fumbling around his navy-blue collar. He recoils in surprise, his eyes meet mine and there is remote fear in them, but they gradually fade as he realises that I'll never hurt him. I _can't_ hurt him… Simply because I want him as my ally…

He watches me as I rapidly nod my head, my fingers clinging onto his collar. The fabric surrounding his stubby throat trembles along with my violently shaking fingers. A small smile lights up his face. He _knows._ He knows that I want to be his _ally_…

That single word makes me shiver with relief and happiness. I have an _ally._ I'm safe…for now…

* * *

**District Four**

_**Liane Herring's**_** POV**

"It's okay… It's all clear," a familiar voice shouts out from behind us. Lianna and I swirl around on our heels to face the rather comforting face: Gilead.

A smile breaks across Lianna's face as fast as a lightning strikes the sky. "Gilead! I was so worried! I thought something happened to you," she exclaims, the words tumbling out in a passionate flow. "I thought that one of the deaths was yours!"

Gilead presses his lips together and he casts his eyes downwards with apology in his eyes. He leans forward, planting his calloused palm onto Lianna's slender shoulder. "Sorry about that. I got myself tangled in a mishap with Avalon Hargrave. But don't worry! I didn't get injured and Avalon eventually got away."

Lianna's immediate respond is a simple, terse nod of her head. She glances around anxiously and mutters, "Looks like we're on a…boat…"

Gilead shrugs, peering over the railings of the ship and gazing at the over-viewing endless stretch of blue waters. There is a dazzling sun high up in the centre of the sky, promptly announcing that this day is going to be a _long_ day…

"Yeah, I worked that out when my stylist dressed me up." He tugs carelessly at his crisp, white shirt with navy stripes encircling his collar. "Also…it appears that there are no islands or coastlines, so we're definitely trapped on here…"

"Of course we are!" against my own will, the words spill from my unwilling lips. Gilead and Lianna both expectantly glance at me. They pause for me to continue, however my lips are already sealed back together. _Why did I say that? Couldn't I just stay quiet?_

Gilead looks back at Lianna questioningly. "Did he follow you?"

She nods slowly and grins wide. "Yep. Anyway, I think he's cute."

_Cute?_ She thinks I'm _cute_? A furious blush blossom onto my cheeks, flushing my entire face which makes my embarrassment more visible. Gilead catches glimpse of my blush and smiles lightly with small amusement.

His façade suddenly turn stern and he stares straight into my eyes with curiosity alight in his eyes. "What did you mean about we are trapped?"

I swallow hard. "Um… W-well…do you know about the force-fields? Every arena have one of the kind." I watch Gilead's face as realisation etch into his face. Tentatively, I kneel down to the ground and gently pick up a small clay stone from the corner of the walls- it must had fallen off the walls. On feeble legs, I walk over to the iron-wrought railings and chuck the stone over the railings down to the crashing waves below…

Automatically, the stone shoots back in the same direction like it has just bounced on something flexible and soft. I catch the stone easily in my palms.

"Oh, of course! How can I forget!" Gilead guffaws to himself, he claps a large, calloused hand onto my back.

I attempt to keep my facial expression neutral and void of any trace of emotion, however my face betrays me. A huge and rather smug smile spread across my face. Lianna, who is watch the entire exchange, smiles along with me. She leans forward and links her willowy arm through Gilead's muscular one.

"Aw, look at him! Isn't he adorable!" Lianna exclaims, which automatically makes me blush even harder. "Can we have him in our secret alliance?"

_Secret alliance…_ The one they secretly arranged and accidentally got me to eavesdrop on… _Does she want me to be in it?_

Gilead's face falls and harden, and he gives me a cold and calculating examination. "Lianna, it's supposed to be just us! You and me… No one else. And couldn't you keep your big mouth shut and not spill it out?"

Lianna has suddenly gone hostile towards him as her eyes gradually go icy. She nonchalantly jerks her arm out of his. "I don't have a big mouth… And are you worried about having more competition? Also, Liane needs us…"

Gilead flicks his gaze over me with an indifferent demeanour. Lianna steps her position beside me and shoots Gilead some puppy-eyes looks. Eventually, Gilead's bulky shoulders sag and go slack, he heaves in an exasperated sigh. "Fine, you're in."

"Yay!" Lianna squeals and jumps into my arms to embrace me. Then she abruptly pulls away and sternly looks into my eyes. "Remember, Liane, _never,_ never ever tell anybody about this. Not Gemma, Shine, Madelyn nor Lynx. They can't know…"

I give her a rapid nod of my own, and she flashes me a toothy grin. I peer through the corner of my eyes, reluctantly watching Gilead. He is stiff, silent and sullen. Just watching us with watchful eyes. _Does he…actually want me in?_

A sharp round of footsteps echo down the corridor from behind us. And we instantly recognise Madelyn's voice, "Guys, what are you doing out here?" We all swirl around simultaneously to come face-to-face with a grinning and joyful Madelyn. She drops the smile immediately and tries to regain her usual hard composure. "Gemma is wondering where you went…"

"We're coming. Are the rest still at the bloodbath location?" Gilead asks.

Madelyn nods tersely, raking her eyes of blue orbs intensely over us; she is studying us sceptically. "Where were you three?"

Gilead gives her an infinite gesture, combined with a mixture of mock confusion. "I was at the bloodbath; I didn't run away. Lianna and Liane were looking for weapons."

Madelyn purses her lips and blandly resorts, "What use of doing that if you never found one?"

Lianna glares at her with icy fury that strikes like a match lit up in her eyes. "We _tried_ to. So shut your fat gob up, you little smug sod. C'mon, lets just go."

Madelyn rolls her eyes and tries not to muster a stubborn grin on her face. She swivel along with the rest of us and marches off down the corridor with us in tow. Inside my head, I constantly distress over whether the corpses would still be there… _How bloody would the area be? What would Gemma be like- happy, displeased with the number of deaths, or simply indifferent?_

"Ah! Here you lot are!" a familiar voice greets us once we enter the battlefield which was the bloodbath. There were still three bodies, all laying in a twist of limps. Blood is spewed across the used-to-be serene white walls. And there are even more blood adorning the wooden flooring, along with the three corpses. The corpses are all mangled, pummelled and bloodied. The three bodies are difficult to distinguish as their faces are unrecognisable and bashed up. _Hang on a minute…_ One of the bodies has no head…

Standing in the middle of the large mess are Gemma, Shine and Lynx. Gemma's hair is unruly and unkempt; the long, blonde strands sticking out in multi-directions. Shine's face is badly bashed up and bloodied due to the broken, crooked nose and split lips which hang like crimson pulps from his face. He looks like a wreck. _And I bet he is not at all hell happy…_ In fact, his face contain dark hint of pure vengeance. Yes, it's blatantly obvious; nobody should ever ruin Shine's perfect face.

The only one who is unchanged and strictly dressed up in neatly trimmed clothes is Lynx. His eyes fixedly roam over the dishevelled mess with an appraising satisfaction. I wonder if he killed one of the poor souls…

"So, who killed who?" Gemma suddenly say in a blunt, matter-of-fact manner. "As for me, I killed Dade from District Five. I was originally giving for the weakling from his District, but the idiot decided to join in. And, unfortunately, the girl ran away."

She tries to muster up a genuine smile at us, waiting to see who is next to announce their kill… Madelyn steps forward, softly swaying her haggard axe loosely in her right palm.

"I lost my hand"- she holds up her left wrist which has a nasty stump on it- "but eventually killed Tyler Levitt. I wanted my revenge on him since the Training Centre…" She jolts her head, making a gesture towards the body with no head. "I chopped off its head and dragged it here."

Disgust and searing contempt fill me momentarily. She just called Tyler 'it… Like he is not human; like he's an animal…

"I killed District Eleven girl," Lynx pipes in, "I just strangled her. But…er, Gemma decided to pummel something, that's why the girl is bashed up."

At that last comment, Gemma's face flushes and she makes a sly smirk. But her entire façade is won out as she glares scornfully around. "_There are only _three _corpses!_"

Her vibrating screech echo around the clearing. It is definitely apparent that she is _pissed_… A sharp pang of distress and anxiety shoot through me. This girl scares me terribly… There's something about her that is not yet…unleashed…

"For God's sake, only three? Really? Shine, what happened to that girl you were fighting with?" Gemma scorns.

"Yeah, didn't you say that you would deal with her?" fires out Lynx. He and Gemma round up onto Shine, with irritation on their faces, they way they slid along the ground resemble them to lions crawling up to their prey…

Shine grinds his teeth together, the muscles in his jaw clenching. "She got away, but I guarantee you that she got injured badly and won't be able to run away again next time…when I make her pay for what she did to _my face_."

Gemma barks a laugh. "Oh, Shiny, I just love you!" She promptly clears her throat, abolishing all trace of laughter and humbleness on her face. She turns to face me, Lianna and Gilead. "I know you, Gilead, were fighting with Avalon. It's a shame that you didn't kill her… But- where were you two?"

I blink, realising that she is directing this to me and Lianna.

"Me and Liane tried to…find weapons," Lianna says with a hint of defeat seeping into her voice. She avoids Gemma's fierce dagger-sharp glares.

For a while, Gemma is deathly silent and motionless. Eventually, she barks out another laugh with a mixture of scorn and disdain. Her eyes fall onto her with amusement. "How ironic. You look like you never found a single weapon. You know what, you both make question myself- why should I keep you both?"

Gilead's face turns slightly red, and he takes a tentative step forward. He quietly points out, "Gemma, we still got weapons. Madelyn has one. And probably Lynx."

Lynx nods, his pupils dilate as he lifts up a dense and heavy bag. "I got some supplies." He prises the bag open and fumbles around for a moment. "There's a box of matches. A tin of roast beef and chicken. A flick-knife. A bag of apples. Two water bottles; both of whom are two litres big. And, lastly but the best"- he slowly takes out a kit with rows of throwing knives- "a kit of throwing knives. How can this get better?"

Lynx meets Gemma's eyes, waiting for her approval. However, she sighs wearily. "That's hardly anything… In every Games, the Careers always have boxes and boxes and boxes- dozens of them- in the Cornucopia. And that simple bag is nothing compared to those boxes… We need lots more. And more weapons… Like, look at it, I'm the only one here who can use throwing knives. Unfortunately, the other Tributes may already got their hands on the supplies and weapons, basically because I'm not even in the buildings yet!"

"Then why don't we go and get some?" Shine's soft, velvety voice slicks around the area. He wraps an arm around Gemma's neck, and they exchange a small look. The area immediately lapses into an awkward silence as the pair embrace each other.

Suddenly, Madelyn's voice cuts through the silence. She waves her only hand left wildly, trying to regain our attention as she points at a dark window. "There! I saw a silhouette pass by the window! It was someone!"

Gemma snaps her head around, and along with the rest of us, gazes up at the empty window on the building directly in front of us. "Let's go and _investigate_!" Gemma commands with a trace of anticipation lingering in her voice. She dashes forward on two sprinting legs, the rest of us flow after her. "Do you know _who_ it was?"

Madelyn's lips curl up into a Cheshire grin. "Gino Cosimo, I think. My District Partner. Let hunt him down!"

"Yes, this is a Tribute Hunt, guys. But remember, always find for supplies and weapons as well!" Gemma shrills out as we enter the rather unwelcoming, white building. As soon as the door slams shut behind us, the darkness consumes us into it's raking clutches…

* * *

**District Twelve**

_**Shawn McCracken's **_**POV**

The ship is disturbingly quiet.

There is a benevolent feel to it… Like it has many traps which would decoy us into their jaws, waiting. Like there's something waiting to be distinguished. To be known…

Adrenaline pass over me in a tidal wave as I dash on running feet down another haggard corridor. There are hundreds of corridors on this ship; all lined with doors which are whitewashed and splintered. The corridors are alike to a maze with twisting paths and dead-ends.

Once or twice, I looked into the rooms; searching for any assortment of weapons, food or water. But all are bare, empty and vast. No beds, no chest of drawers, no shelf, no television. Nothing. After a while, I got overwhelmingly disoriented by the bare state of this ship.

_It's like the Gamemakers want to give us, Tributes, a hard time in here…_

After a hasty descend of stairs leading down to another floor, I decide to do another check. So I reach forward, grabbing hold of a cold, brass door-handle, and I turn it. But it is the wrong thing to do… And it's too late…

There is a deep, gurgling sound of growling as the door swings open. My ears perk up at the horrible sound. It is the first trace of sound- aside from my own- I have heard so far inside these buildings… Realisation come over me in a rushing roll- _the Gamemakers want more twists and chaos, so the rooms are a…trap._

The door flings open, revealing the room inside. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as my eyes land onto an ugly, mangled beast standing on all fours. The beast is drenched in a horrible oily substance that glisten with a gleaming sheen in the dim lights. Its eyes are two orbs painted in a deep, blood red colour with the black pupils dilating. It has spindly, skeletal legs with loose skin draping over the bones. There are nothing like a single tuft of fur covering its wrinkled, oily skin. The sight of its decaying skin and aggressive eyes which intensify makes me become nausea.

My jaw drops, and my face blanch and pale. The creature draws nearer and makes a guttural sound deep inside its throat.

I'm about to bolt for my life when my eyes catch a gleaming blade. My eyes drift over the oily display of the beast to a table which has two long swords with a large, glossy package. _That is what I need… There are the items I long and crave for, all behind this disgusting beast…_

_What the hell am I going to do?_

The monster suddenly leans backwards onto its two spindly legs and push with all of its might so it hurled through the air towards me. My eyes expand at the sight of sharp, raking claws and teeth as sharp and thin as razors. _It's going to kill me…_

_And it's inevitable…_ No. It's not. I _can_ do it…

Right before the mutt dig its claws into my chest like needles through fabric, I dodge it narrowly. The beast fly into the wall squarely, and crumples down to the floor, releasing a ghoulish howl. I outwardly ignore it and lurch into the room, my hands itching to lie onto a sword. Automatically, my hands are wrapped around a sword.

I swirl around, the sound of the sword whistling through the air is like music to my ears. The mutt faces me again with intensified fury in its burning eyes.

There is a blast of crashing, smashing and clattering of metal in the stiff atmosphere as we collide…

It is all a blur. Every swift movement of mine is barely recognisable to me. The noise of the growls from the creature, the metal on flesh, and the jarring grunts from me are all a dizzy afterthought.

And it all ends after a small swing from my sword as it plunges through the beast's heart. Gradually, the mutt's guttural sounds diminish and become non-existent as its heart drain out of life.

And its dead…

I stare down at the dead, crumpled body which lies lifeless and slack at my feet. Triumph cloud my mind. With that, I gather together my trophies and depart from the room with a little beat in my step. Adrenaline is as prominent and powerful as crashing waves as they erode a cliff. I saunter down the corridor without a care in the world, the thought of the Capitol watching me right now makes me smirk slyly- they will all be dashing forward to sponsor for me… _This is all too easy already…_

A small burst of staggering footsteps is like a pin dropping on the hard floor in the corridor as it is so silent. I instantly halt, quietly hoisting the bag over my shoulder as my palm grasping the sword readies itself. The footsteps increase as the person bolt nearer. My focus pick up as I dart down the corridor towards the sharp curve of the walls, I abruptly press my back up to the wall and peer around the corner.

Promptly, I catch glimpse of Joona… An evil grin take power of my face. _It's that little kid who I played with in the Training Centre… It's him._

I almost laugh with happiness and amusement. The Gamemakers must have arranged all of this… They must've planned to get me distracted with the mutt as Joona draws nearer. They _want_ me to kill him… Well, they're getting what they want right now!

I swerve around the corner, the sword glinting in the flickering lights. The sharp and sudden sound of me dashing, jolts Joona around as he searches for any signs of an ambush. But it's just _me_… And he should fear me more than just some ambush.

"Hello, kiddie," I murmur as I get closer to him, my face concealed in the shadows. "Remember me?"

"Shawn?" he mutters pathetically. A cackle bursts out of me, the sound is jarring to my eardrums. Joona's response to the laughing is immediately running for his life. I instantly follow him, my feet crashing down onto the floor.

_Damn, he's fast._ And he is fast! The little kid sprints off with a gapping width between us, he is quicker than me… _How am I going to catch up with him?_ Oh, wait, don't worry, the Gamemakers will make sure something prevents him from escaping.

And I'm correct, as Joona has disappeared around another corner but there is a loud round of yapping and snarling. Mutts have got him… But they'll never have him, not when I don't have him first.

Yet again, I push myself against the wall with my back facing it, and I slowly slide down to look around the corner. The sight that encounters me shocks me to the core. There are ghoulish looking creatures with skeletal limps, which have flapping, grey skin coating them, all hopping around Joona, stooped low to the floor. They have no eyes, nor noses, so they just leap about helplessly, following the scent of Joona's clothing. There are approximately a dozen of the tiny creatures. The one thing that catches my attention is…their teeth. They have three metres long teeth that prod from the tight line of their mouths…

I whip out my long sword, my eyes squinting in concentration. The creatures suddenly swivel around, away from the sobbing Joona who is lying in the midst of the mutts. _Crap._ The mutations have a good hearing as I tried my hardest to be soundless… The snarling of the mutts increase at the sight of me, their pointy ears pin back onto their grey, hairless scalps. The one in the front straightens up slowly, spit and salvia drizzling from its lipless mouth.

Just before they all lurch forward with their out-stretched to rake through my skin, they all hesitate and prick their ears up, as if they have heard something… The one in front snarls like its furious, but with that it spins around and trots off down the corridor with the others following…

_Did the Gamemakers tell them to leave me alone…?_

Well, well, the Gamemakers' flavour is definitely in my odds.

An evil smile grace my malice face, lightening up my eyes as I stare down at Joona, the lights glint on my teeth; giving me a threatening, monstrous appearance… Joona stares up at me with those wide, naïve eyes. He fumbles around momentarily, but eventually stops after I forcibly press the heel of my right foot into his gaping wound on his leg. He gasps and gurgles helplessly as I keep on pressing.

"…H-h-help," he whispers feebly.

"H-h-h-h-help," I mimic his weak tone, and chuckle. "No one can hear you, you know."

He doesn't make a response, he only takes a deep swallow and nibbles down onto his bottom lip. As I slowly kneel down, he squeezes shut his eyes. I raise up my sword, the blade glistening so brightly in the lights. For a second, I catch Joona's face in the reflection of the mirror-like blade, and his facial expression is full of fear, dismay and bewilderment. I remember when I bullied him on the roof of the Training Centre, beating him to a bloody pulp. I remember when I tricked him in the last day of Training, I made him to tip a bucket of paint over Brandi. I remember how he did nothing to fight back at me… And, right now, he's doing the same.

_Why isn't he fighting back? Is he scared? Has he given up on his life?_

Or is he dumb?

That one thought made me chuckle. In respond to the sudden sound which erupted through the silence of the corridors, causes Joona to shift his eyelids barely open. His eyes meet mine as I slash the sword through the air…

The sword ends his life. And a canon is sounded.

* * *

**District Six**

_**Eveliina Burridge's **_**POV**

A canon that fires out makes me suddenly jump in surprise.

I shiver violently, my bottom lip quivering as I contemplate who the new dead person could be… _Was it Cohen? Who killed him? How? Was it really Cohen?_

As I stumble through the darkening corridors- my eyes switching between the flickering, bare light-bulbs- my mind is already overtaken by constant stirring, painful thoughts about Cohen. This morning, I never saw him as we were separated for the launch. I keep wondering where he is and whether if he is still alive… I keep thinking about what could have happened if we allied and are together… Would we be safer together…? Would something happen between us?

_Well…I will find out later tonight if he is alive when the anthem comes on…_

My breathing become laboured as I climb up another row of stairs. _How many stairs are there on this ship? And how many rooms?_

Suddenly, I freeze, my foot still in midair. There is a small clattering noise of doors slamming shut and open, repeatedly. My ears perk up as I itch to listen for more… _Is it the Careers? Who would it be? Or…is it mutts? A trick?_ It can't be a trick already… Often, Gamemakers only add in tricks and traps further on in the Games once the audience is getting bored of the events in the Games, and the new traps would excite them again…

So it can't be a trap…

I slowly creep along, my hands running over the white, bare wall. I crane my neck as I peer around a sharp corner. Almost immediately, my eyes fall onto a short boy with his head stuck into a room- probably scanning the room. He is wearing the same sailor outfit that others wear, with blue, navy stripes encircling his crisp, white collar. On his feet, are the typical, polished, black shoes. My eyes squint together as I ponder if he is wearing the cap as well…

Hang on a minute…all I'm thinking about is what he is wearing…and what is he is doing. Also, who is he? And what would he _do_ to me? …But what if…this guy is Cohen?

The boy suddenly straightens up, revealing his face. It is Cohen.

…Cohen De Luca…

My District Partner! The one boy I mulled over and over since the misfortunate event in the Training Room… He's alive.

Cohen swirls around, his eyes widen like a deer caught in the headlights, at the trampling sound of my footsteps as I walk nearer. My heart swells inside me, blood pumping through it at high pressure that it beats furiously like I'm running up a steep slope of a hill.

My dry lips part open, and I try to muster a sentence but the words are lost on my tongue, dissolving like ice melting. He meets my eyes, his face is unreadable with no trace of emotion- nothing to express his current thoughts.

"-Eveliina…" he croaks in a raspy voice. In that one word, I knew what he is feeling. He is feeling pain, grieve, relief and…desire. _Does he experience the same feelings I have to endure with?_

Once again, I try to form several words on my lips, moulding them to shape so they would hang in the tense, silent atmosphere. "Cohen, nice to see you…"

His jaw clenches with tightened muscles. "What a-are you doing? You should r-run."

"Why should I-I r-run?" I demand. With the final few words, I lose control of myself and tears begin to flow freely from my eyes. It feels like an ice cube has slid down my back, rising the hairs on it, as I draw closer to him… There is no pain, no agony, inside me. Only pleasure… _Shouldn't I feel pain?_

"I mean," he says, swallowing, "I can easily kill you. Do you want to be killed?"

"I know you won't! I know you feel the same as I feel for you," I cry out. Goosebumps form on my arms once I halt directly in front of him, my eyes gazing into his. His dark locks are unruly and shaggy, I feel an urgency to comb my fingers through his strands.

"I can easily kill you right now…" he murmurs. Tears well up in his dark eyes and he takes a step back away from me. And I reflexively lean in closer, my nostrils heaving in the musky scent of him. My mind is unable to absorb what he just said… It's like I'm in a trance- a haze. He is gravity for me; drawing me to him. It feels like I'm under a spell…

"I will never run," I snap. Like a lightning, the spell that keeps me under its obsessive trance suddenly brings a blunt side of me out.

The tears that pool in his eyes leak out and drizzle down his cheeks… He purses together his taut lips and pulls out a shimmering dagger…

It takes me a while to fully adjust what kind of situation this is as I'm under a haze… My eyes wander over the dagger and land onto the calloused, splitting open skin of Cohen's hand which grip onto the dagger like a vice. _is this a dream? Or is it really actually happening…?_

Why would he kill me? Is killing me his true intention?

_Doesn't he…love me?_

"I'm…so, so sorry," he whispers in a feeble voice. The muscles in his hand clench as he raises the dagger in midair… I narrow my eyes close together, preparing myself for my inevitable fate…

There is an undistinguished growl approaching us from behind Cohen. His eyes- filled with glistening tears- widen in remote surprise and he slowly swivel around. At the edge of my vision, I merely catch sight of a beastly looking mutt with gleaming, black coat of fur and a face mostly described as a gaping hole with rows and rows of razor-sharp teeth. The mutt suddenly latches its ugly mouth onto Cohen's left arm.

A shrill of Cohen's shrieking and screaming fill my eardrums with jarring, disturbing noise. As I lay my gaze onto the mutt, who is attacking poor Cohen's arm with slashing teeth that drill into his arm like a machine, I automatically regain my focus. My mind returns from its numb state as I snatch the dagger from Cohen's grip. With determination and searing hatred, I slash the dagger across the mutt's back, tearing through the flesh and spilling blood.

The creature doesn't even flinch, pause or show a flicker of reaction to the brisk slash of the dagger, it just continues with biting into Cohen's arm. It doesn't even register the blood drooling down its backside from the gaping wound…

I grit my teeth in frustration and make another aim at the mutt, with the sound of Cohen's endless screaming prominent in my ears. Again and again and again, I strike at the mutt, repeatedly. Eventually, I feel the dagger hitting something hard- the mutt's bones. I push on harder, my face turning red from the force I thrust into my cutting.

Finally, the mutt lurches backwards on its hind legs and lets out a howl. The sound of the howl ripples throughout the corridor. The sound of it makes the hairs on the back of my neck rise up in a protest. Cohen squeezes his eyes shut as tears drizzle furiously from his eyes, his teeth bites hard down onto his bottom lip like he is trying to hold in a scream of agony. My eyes drift down to the wound on his arm…

It is gaping with dark blood gushing from it in a steady flow. The cut is deep and wide like a jarring ridge. It looks apparent that the mutt's life is already draining away as it staggers uselessly down the corridor with floods of blood flowing in rivers behind it… It won't even have a _chance_! For a moment, I'm indecisive but gradually I decide that I should just leave the mutt to bleed to death…

_It deserves that…_

I turn to face Cohen who is gritting his teeth to hold in the pain as tears brim on the edge of his eyes. The sight of the pain on his face is unbearable to look at directly… He's in so, _so_ much pain… _How do I help? Would he allow me to help? What should I do…?_

Eventually, I come to the conclusion of my decision. I hold out an open palm, smiling and wincing a little. "Let me help you."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'm extremely sorry about another late update! Lately, I had been feeling rather uninspired and depressed, so that is probably the reason for the late update. Also, Bring Them To Their Knees has began so there had been a lot of planning and writing. I would love it if you check out the story by 24tributes24authors. My character's (Jet Matthews, District Two) reaping is already up! :D Also, I had been writing some other stuff, like Acereader55's story which I'm now not a part of.

I'm going to try and get back into the weekly updating, but sadly I'll be busy in July and August with holidays and work- sorry ): But I do hope that this late chapter makes up for the delay (I put in tons of action already and it is the first day!). Also, I'm excited to introduce one of the biggest plans I made weeks ago into this story…

One last thing, in total, there will be about 20 or at least 18 chapters of the arena. Then after that, there will be chapters of the Victor; families grieving; President Black and Lilac planning for the next Games. Also, in a couple of chapters, you may will catch glimpse of several escorts and Mentors of the Tributes when I get bored of writing the Tributes (:


	6. Machine killers

**Day One, Part Two- Machine-killers**

* * *

**District Seven**

_**Gino Cosimo's **_**POV**

There are shrieks and loud outbursts of cries resonating in the narrow corridor behind me as I dash forward on my feet. The corridor's walls are draped in a thick, glossy sheen of black, the substance glisten like jewels in the dim light as I sweep the torch in my hand over the walls. I know it's probably the best idea to turn off my torch in order to get away from the desperate Careers, but how would I find my way through these maze-like, hazard corridors. Also, I wouldn't enjoy the moment of crashing into the sticky walls…

"Oi, stop running off; you can't get away from us!"

I almost flinch and form a tight grimace on my paled face at the familiar voice. Madelyn…

_Why is she so determined to kill me? I've never done anything to her!_

A laugh bounce along the walls from behind, and forcibly raises the hairs on the back of my neck… Madelyn almost sounded insane, like she has jumped off a cliff of sanity and drowned herself in the murky, grainy water of madness… _Has she finally gone insane?_

I gulp nervously, Goosebumps running up my arms as I sprint with all of my strength left. The sensation and knowledge that I'm all alone gnaws at my guts inside, burning its way through me as fear takes its weight onto my shoulders, weighing me down… Throughout my life, I was completely fine on my own, always enjoying my own company most of the time- but for once, I now _need_ a companion.

During the countdown for the beginning of the Games, the sight of the ship and the blue water among me distracted me that I forgot to look out for Avalon and watch out for what direction she gestured at. When the gong sounded, I scanned the arena, but Avalon and my other allies disappeared…

Then I went into this building with the horrible, icky walls.

And now, the Careers are _hunting_ me down…

The merest thought of my brother watching makes me wince and want to hit myself. How could I had been so stupid? Why couldn't I do the simplest thing and look out for Avalon and my allies so I could have ran away with them and be safe…?

_Didn't I have all of this planned?_

I had an ally- actually more than just one- and now I'm all alone…

The crashing footsteps behind me draw nearer and…nearer… The cries of the blood-thirsty machine-killers chasing after me. Carefully, I shift the position of the torch in my palm and cast it directly at the corridor, a few feet away there is a crisscross of corridors. Three corridors to escape into…

Suddenly, I switch the light-beam of the torch off, and darkness relapses. There is nothing in sight, it's like having my own eyes closed… If I'm careful and precise, I may be able to swerve into the right corridor without any light guiding me. And hopefully, there, I'll be hidden… Well, to be frank, it's doubtful to believe that I can be _hidden_ from the Careers…

_Swerve now!_

Expectantly, I run to the right, waiting for the sticky, black gulp to swallow me. However, I run into clear air- I got into the corridor without hitting the wall! A grin flash across my face like lightning striking the grey, murky clouds. _I did it!_ I successfully got into the next corridor with no light.

Now, all I have to do is wait…

The cadence of footsteps approach me in a lightning speed, all dashing and stumbling. The shouts of pursuit are still as strong as ever. There are a several occasional groans of frustration and disgust which indicates that some of them have ran straight into the walls. In front of my vision, I can spot a dim, small shadow, and I know that was Madelyn.

I forcibly press my lips together and force my breathing to be quieter as the time ticks by… As the Careers slowly work their way up the straight corridor- none of whom turning around and entering my corridor- my composure gradually relaxes and my knitted frown disperses.

But, the last Career halts in the middle of the crisscross of corridors and sniffs the air. This exact person spins around and walks into the corridor I'm waiting in… Fear washes throughout me like a tidal wave, my eyes widen as I watch the mild shadow approach me.

A deep, hoarse voice croaks out reluctantly, "He's here. I can feel his presence."

I can scarcely recognise this voice but soon I realise that this guy is the District Two male. I'd seen him around the Training Centre, but he made an impression on me which implies that he's _different._

I swallow a large lump stuck in my throat and work my way along the wall, my fingers coated in the horrible glop, my white clothing get caught in the substance. Now, there's no way I can _get away_!

The running footsteps increase as they encounter the crisscross and enter the corridor, all following Gilead's voice. There is the small giggle of excitement, the merest chuckle, the thud of a blade against the walls. All are never going to leave my mind, all had branded themselves into my brain and will haunt me forever if I _do_ escape…

"Well done, Gilead. I now consider you a loyal ally," Madelyn's giggly voice brings a round of hatred deep inside me. "Now, we need some light…"

"He got a torch," a male voice muses. Automatically, a pair of firm hands grab my arms and hold me in a vice-like grip, the smooth handle of the torch slip from my grasp… And the corridor lights up in a sudden.

The ray of light hit my eye-level and dazzling me blind. I blink my eyes wearily, and momentarily hesitate as realisation that escaping is impossible dawns on me. The pair of hands that grip me tighten fiercely and hold me beneath the ray of light.

"Oh, look at who it is!" Madelyn laughs, "Do you remember? You're the 'definitely kill' on my Kill List…"

My face scrunches up and I spit out blindly into the light. There is a huff of impatience. "Oh, how mature of you to spit at me," Madelyn snarls, face hidden behind the light.

"You think I'm not being mature? It's you who isn't mature! You think all of this is a game, a game which you go insane over," I retort with anger vibrating from me.

I can imagine rage seeping into her face as she drinks in the words I just uttered.

"Right, lets just get this over done with," another familiar voice pipes in. I recognise the voice as belonging to Gemma Larkson; the Career's leader.

"I want to give him what he deserves which is a long, slow, agonising death," Madelyn says modestly. Her voice instantly conveys how matter-of-factly she is handling this situation, how she is so bend down onto making my life hell…

"Fine," huffs Gemma, "but don't take too long."

"Thank you," Madelyn says simply. I catch glimpse of her small frame walking towards me in front of the beam, and in her hand is a blunt axe… She got a weapon. But I also have one.

Instantly, I yank out a curved dagger from my pocket and swing blindly at the air, aiming for Madelyn. There is a ripple of laughter echoing around me, and I realise that the Careers find all of this _funny._ I grit my teeth together in determination and loath as I encounter Madelyn who is swaying her axe in her hand.

The torch follows my and Madelyn's prompt steps as we carry out our battle. I'm large and stronger than her, but she's quick and nimble on her feet. At my every swerve, Madelyn easily dodges them with swiftness. It is almost like all of this is nothing for her, that it is effortless for her… Every meanwhile I'm grunting and groaning with determination and frustration whilst my blade misses Madelyn's flesh and occasionally get stuck in the black glop.

Suddenly, a searing course of pain erupt throughout me when Madelyn's axe make contact with my chest. I cast my eyes downwards and gasp at the sight of a deep, gaping wound on my chest, blood seeps through the white, cotton shirt and drip down to the floor. The pain is relentless and never…ends. Inside my eardrums, Madelyn's malicious laugh resonates forever…

"Oh, this is fun!" her exact, song-sing words chant around inside my skull; driving me insane. She lashes out again, the blade sinks into my arm. She withdraws and aims again. This time, she nips at my left wrist. In spite of the small cut, it is still as vivid and powerful as the other two wounds.

The feeling of being powerless, weak and vulnerable cuts through me, burning its way through my brain. _I'm weak, I'm weak, I'm weak,_ I think repeatedly. I'm not strong enough for my brother; I'll never return and look after him and steer him away from the Orphanage.

"Just end his life now," the same hoarse voice chokes out. "Look at him, he's in too much pain."

"Oh, shut up. This is what he needs."

"No, he doesn't need it. No one deserves to die like this. Just end it all, or you'll never be forgiven." The words swill inside my brain, confusing me.

"Forgiven by who?"

"God. He'll probably never forgive you for doing this," the male voice cracks at the end of the sentence.

"I'm never going to-"

Madelyn's retort is cut off when Gilead yanks the dagger from my grasp and stabs it through my chest. There is a sickening noise of flesh cutting, and more blood flow endlessly from the hole. It's obvious that he just stabbed through my heart by the looks of the tons and tons of blood…

And all I know now is falling into a pit of darkness…

* * *

**District Nine**

_**Katherine McManus' **_**POV**

I drag my feet behind me, the lids of my eyes drooping low. The lights running along the walls of the corridors are flickering and weak. _Is this what the Gamemakers did on purpose?_

The merest thought of the Gamemakers begin a stirring sensation of hatred deep inside me. _It's their fault that I'm in the arena… Their fault that they just ripped me away from my beloved family. It's their fault that I'm fighting for my survival…_

What if they chose one of Caladium's new friends; Fuchsia and Hoya. What if they never thought of me? Would I be safe at home?

_No, no, no, Kat, you mustn't wish that Caladium's friends are in the Games. _I take a big gulp and wipe away the tears brimming in my eyes. I guess that it is my fate to be dumped in the arena… I guess that all of this is inevitable. In one way or another, Lilac Heavensbee would always find me and torture me with her cruel mind…

All of this is a big mess. One I don't want to be-

The cannon fires out, indicating that somebody just died.

I snap my head up, fear radiating throughout me. How many deaths had there been? _One, two, three, four…five._ There had been five deaths so far… Only eighteen left; one will survive. Eighteen are alive in the first day so far…

I ponder momentarily, wondering who are dead people today. Well, I'll find out later during the anthem… But the thought of seeing the faces of the dead Tributes in the sky will give me more to hate about the Capitol.

I promptly shake away the thoughts and bring my senses back to the present. My ears strain to listen for any sounds, but it is deathly silent and still like the entire place is frozen. Panic instantly fill me. _Did I lose Shawn?_ No, there's no way I could have lost him, it must be a false alarm…

I halt and strain my ears out, listening out for any signs of life, again. But there is nothing…

He should be somewhere… I had been following him since I silently came across him killing the poor kid from my District. Fortunately, he never spotted me watching, so afterwards I silently stalked him in the shadows.

You want to know why I'm doing this? I have no other strategy; not one that could help me survive. I only have one tactic which is to follow Shawn throughout the Games and hopefully collect his weapons and food or have his protection if another Tribute come across us.

I'm actually pretty much lucky to not be seen by Shawn, because he is so unwary of me, so oblivious and unaware that it's almost laughable.

A growl echo along the corridor and force the hairs on my back to stand up. I cast my eyes down the corridor, widening in fear. The growl sounded so ghoulish, so monstrous, so…evil. It's a _mutt_…

I slowly work my way up the corridor and crane my neck around a corner, blandly looking out for the monster. The corridor has widen into an expanded room with dusty tiles on the floor and tattered paintings of old-fashioned landscapes hanging up on the walls. It is a large hall with tables drenched in cotton fabric, and there are silver platters and cracked plates atop. Propped against the opposite wall is a long, old table with plates of food laid out across the top…

The food catches my eyes first.

Then I realise that the food are rotten… There is a waft of sickening smell of rotting fruit and foul food. If you look closely, you can catch glimpse of worms and ants crawling all over the food…

_There's no way I can eat that!_

Next, my ears are filled with the sound of deep grunting, clash and thud of the long sword against flesh, and the rippling growls and snarls that erupt from a beast. Shawn is fighting a large mutt in the centre of the room, and by the looks of it, he's the king of the battle…

At every moment of the fight, Shawn swiftly rams his sword through the throat of the black, furry beast, cutting off its breathing. The beast is a lot larger than him, and has long claws the size of gigantic blades. The sight of Shawn completely breaking the beast down to its devastation reveals how strong and what a natural he is at fighting…

And that scares me.

_What if he sees me? _He wouldn't have any mercy or pity whilst killing me… He would just bluntly thrust his sword through my heart. So…what am I doing here?

I promptly swirl around and jump behind a wall, my breathing swallow so I try to control it by inhaling deep heaves of breaths. My face contort with worry and panic as I await for any sounds of Shawn approaching me.

But he never comes near.

For a while, there is no noise. Eventually, I give up and peer around the wall. My eyes automatically land onto Shawn who is eating the food laid out onto the long table.

_Wha-! It's all rotten and he's eating it- Hang on a minute…_

My jaw becomes unhinged as I gaze at the food lying on the tables; all are not rotten and mouldy. The fruit are juicy and unspoilt like they were just picked off the plants. The bread are not stale, and they emit a sweet, mouth-watering waft of freshly cooked bread.

_What the heck has happened?_

Wait… When Shawn killed the beast, did the food return to their fresh, previous state? Just wow! What a clever trick of the Gamemakers.

I wait for nearly a hour until Shawn finally retreats from the hall, leaving with a bag filled with food. Luckily, he has left some food behind…some food especially for me…

I lurch forward and pick up an apple and bite into it. The taste is so fresh and delicious that it's almost unbearable for me to contain my glee. I abruptly grab a handful of food and thrust them into my empty bag that I found on a corridor. A grin alights my face.

All I have to do is follow Shawn in order to survive.

As I follow him down a corridor, at the corner of my eye I spot another dark mass of a person… Somebody is also following Shawn. I'm not alone… Shawn is being followed by not just me, but somebody else.

But who is it?

* * *

**District Twelve**

_**Brandi Hahn's **_**POV**

Whoever takes pleasure in watching young teenagers brutally killed on the television screen are some sadistic assholes, ones who will never experience the terrifying, paralysing fear that dig its way through the Tributes. And that is the Capitol audience; they enjoy our distress and pain, and will never know what it is like for us…

Since the bloodbath, there was a deep plunging of emotions- combined with fear and hatred- of the Capitol digging through me; wrenching through me. The experience of watching the Careers dash after the desperate underdogs has stroked sometime deep within me…something that has came unleashed. Something like shock. Like fear.

I felt so helpless as I ran away with Avalon and Alice, I so longed to swirl around and start a battle with the Careers so the victims can get away. I felt so powerless. So _unlike_ me…

Also, the knowledge that any cannon could have announced Gino's death is unbearable to take in, so vaguely cleared up and not muddled. So hard to soak in, to absorb the concept of our ally dead.

An exapersated sigh draws my attention back to the reality, and my eyes slide towards Avalon. She's rubbing her wrinkled forehead, a deep frown knotted. For once, she looks stressed and almost like she is about to rip out her brown hair.

"So, do you think we should rest now?" mutters Alice. I glance over at Alice, realising that she is the least shocked of us all; she isn't experiencing a trauma, so is she used to all of this?

_Of course, she would, she's from a Career District._

"Um…yeah," Avalon says in response, she blinks briefly before straightening her shoulders. "We'll go into one of the rooms- hopefully one without a mutt- and we'll stay there for the night."

"How'd we see the sky for the anthem?" I ask curiously.

"Just look out of the window," Avalon says brusquely, her face unreadable once again. "Also, we already have weapons, supplies and food, we just need to _keep_ them to ourselves, we cannot let others steal them. So we'll have somebody to stay up for night watch and keep an eye out for others."

"Sounds like a plan." Alice smiles, her eyes shift between me and Avalon. There is a nervous tremble in her slender hands, and her lips quiver slightly- she's anxious. But what of?

"What's the matter?" I ask her, reaching out and holding her shivering hands in mine. She looks down at our hands and shrugs.

"I don't really know…" she murmurs, "I guess I'm missing my sister…"

My lips twitch with uncertainty. I can't handle a situation like this, I can't smother away her grieve, choke away the knot of emotions inside her or pick out the searing pain she's feeling; I'm no superhero. With that, I turn away, averting my eyes from hers.

"We need to have a plan…" I mutter, pretty much to myself. Avalon and I exchange a look, sharing our thoughts.

"What thoughts do you have?" she asks me, crinkling her eyebrows together with curiosity.

"I was thinking, maybe we make a trap in one of the rooms, and I'll go off to find Shawn and lure him to the room…"

"Why would that work?" she snaps, looking frustrated at my idea.

"I know it sounds unrealistic, but he would definitely chase me," I say helplessly.

Alice and Avalon meet eyes, and Avalon rolls her eyes absently. "That's ridiculous. He could have a weapon and can easily kill you with it. Also, how are you mean to _find_ him on this massive ship?"

I bite down onto my cracked, bleeding lip and shrug my shoulders. "I don't know…"

"Why do you hate Shawn so much?" Alice pipes in, her eyes roaming over my face, perhaps looking for any valid, interesting expression to read.

To even my surprise, I laugh, the sound tumble from my lips reluctantly and slicks through the cold corridor. "Don't you know? He tried to make my life a torment, a ruin. He hated me for _no_ reason, and it made _me_ hate him so much. He tried to completely and utterly ruin my life before the Games."

"So…you want us to lure him into a trap and kill him?" Alice asks, bewildered.

"Well, yes, but I'll lure him in. He would know that something is not right if you come with me. And it's best if you wait at the trap location, and just wait for me and Shawn," I explain, carefully weaving my words with precise and passion.

"But do you even know where he is?" Avalon bluntly asks with irritation lacing her voice.

I purse my lips together and my eyes fleet down to land onto my feet. I hear Avalon's sighing and exhaling of displeasure. "You have gone insane."

"Me? Insane?" I chuckle humourlessly. "I think you meant that Shawn has gone insane."

"No, I meant _you_, and you know I'm correct. All of what is happening is slowly making you go mad…" she murmurs hesitantly, her calloused hand patting me on my shoulder to show her empathy. "Come on, we need to get going."

I force the feelings of anger out of me, and I try to uphold the smile on my face to conceal the emotions inside me. I drag along the sack, filled with items and food, with me as I trail behind Avalon and Alice. Alice is carrying a bundle of weapons in her slim arms, whereas Avalon is pulling along another bag full of supplies.

We received these things after long battles with ugly looking mutts who escaped from the rooms. And we have earned a dozen of gashes, bruises and wounds from the mutts- but at least, we gained the bags of supplies and weapons. Avalon is still so imposed that we can beat the Careers, despite the prominent fact that we're outnumbered.

"Wait," Alice sharply whispers, jolting my senses back to the present whilst I jog after her. She's looking around a corner and onto a wide, expanded room. "Look at who is here…"

I can vaguely decipher what she just said considering her voice is so hushed and low. But her defensive body language easily translate to something like _danger_, like somebody…is here.

I halt beside her and peer around the corner along with Avalon, curiosity seeping through me. And the large, dark mass of a person in the room, munching at a fresh piece of bread kicks at me like an inexplicable tide of joy hurtling throughout me. It brings out a knee-jerking response out of me. My back straighten up like a rod.

It's Shawn McCracken.

My District Partner. My arch-enemy…

A sly grin split across my face as I watch Shawn devour food laid out on polished tables, a sickening smirk on his face as his eyes slick over the silver platters. Now, this circumstance is something I'll take pleasure in.

I can't believe my luck…

"I don't believe it…" Avalon breathes, her eyes wide with amazement. "I guess, then, your useless plan, Brandi, may come to use…"

"Of course it would come to use," I mutter stubbornly. "All we have to do now, is to make a trap in a room."

"Lets do it then, Alice, you stay here and watch him," Avalon order briskly, her arms flapping at her sides excitedly, "while Brandi and I go to one of the rooms and make a trap."

Alice simply nods, her expression is so easy to read. She's not happy with this plan at all… She doesn't like this. Well, tough, me and Avalon want to do it.

I and Avalon slide down the corridor on tip-toes, trying to muffle our sound so it wouldn't alert Shawn our presence. Avalon bluntly halts outside a door, she glances at me at the corner of her eye, distress is prominent in her eyes.

"Let's just hope this door doesn't have a mutt in it…" she whispers, fear is discreet in her eyes. I nod hesitantly, lets just hope…

Avalon lays her pale hand onto the cold, brass door handle and twists it carefully. She slowly opens the door, determination spreading across her face. I bite hard down onto my bottom lip, accidentally splitting open the thin skin and blood trickle from the cut. We slowly peer in, assuming that nothing is inside because there is no obnoxious ripple of growling, or scratching of claws on the dusty tile floor. The door creaks wider, revealing what is inside.

There's nothing.

"Oh, thank goodness," I whisper aloud, exchanging a smug grin with Avalon. We both enter the room, eyes slicking along the sterile, white walls. "So, what should we…do?"

"I was thinking about setting up a snare in the centre of the room where hopefully Shawn would run straight into it if you sprint into here and hide," Avalon concludes, scratching at her jaw to indicate she is in a deep contemplation. "Me and Alice could hide behind the door with our weapons and when Shawn is caught in the snare, we'll gang up on him."

Suddenly, inside my mind, a picture of wolves pressing up onto a vulnerable human with fangs bared and claws sharp and ready to sink into the soft flesh of the human flash by. For some reason, all of this is a big resemblance to a pack of vicious wolves…and it doesn't make me comfortable.

All of this doesn't feel _right_…

"Do you get it?" Avalon asks me, her eyes boring right through me. I give her a bland nod. "Good. Me and Alice will build the snare while you bring Shawn here. So…are you okay with luring Shawn to here? You'll have a weapon with you, right?"

"Of course, I'll be fine," I reply, my eyes not batting an inch. She looks visibly impressed by my bravery, and she rewards me with a genuine smile that I never saw before. I crack a smile back at her and make a small jest, "You know what, you should smile more, you look pretty with it on."

Abruptly, her smile falls like a wind has swept it off, and she rolls her eyes dramatically at me before sticking a tongue out. "Oh shut up."

I laugh quietly as I stride out of the room, adrenaline is bursting through me like a sizzling current of electricity. Energy and anticipation rage a war inside me as I draw nearer to Alice standing at the wall down the long corridor. As I gradually get closer, I quieten my footsteps and eventually creep along in tip-toes.

"Hey," I whisper, my voice scarcely audible to be heard, "I'm back, you can return to Avalon. She wants you both to make the snare while I lure Shawn there."

"Oh, okay, do you need a weapon," she asks in a hushed tone. I nod, and grasp the belt of throwing knives from her.

"Bye, see you later," I mutter, and turn my focus onto Shawn who is now stuffing food into his bag.

Alice's cold palm rests onto my arm, I crane my neck to meet her eyes. "Good luck," she says humbly, "And be careful."

With that, she swivel around and work her way up the corridor on silent feet. I purse my lips together and turn my focus onto Shawn. _What a greedy pig_, I think to myself as I watch him amble along the tables, his eyes skimming over plates of food. For a split second, I catch glimpse of a head with tresses of dark brown hair opposite me… Someone else is here with us…

I back away from the corner when I figure out that Shawn striding up the corridor next to this one. All I have to do is get into that corridor and follow him, and fight him, get him angry, make him chase me. And I simply have to bring him to the room with '56' in bold on the door…

Outside the window beside me, the sky gradually lapse into darkness- night has come. And the sound of anthem roar inside my eardrums, echoing inside my head. "Ugh," I breath inwardly, I'll be missing the anthem and the faces in the sky… Hopefully, Avalon and Alice will watch the sky for any indication that Gino is either alive or dead.

I swallow away a piece of bile rising up inside me whilst walking into the next corridor and silently following Shawn…

I have that horrible, hair-raising feeling that something or some_body_ is following us…

* * *

**District Three**

_**Karmine McFearson's **_**POV**

The sound of the anthem in my ears jolt me awake.

I blink my eyes wearily, the white, solemn ceiling above me waver like a leaf in a breeze as I slowly and groggily sit up. Nausea fill me as the ship softly rock on the lapping waves of the ocean. I can easily get sea-sick, so having a ship for the arena is like having karma laughing at me.

I swallow away the intense lump inside my throat as I stagger towards the tiny window which cast flickering light into the room and make a glowing hue. I grip the window still and stand up on tip-toes as I peer up at the sky, waiting for the anthem to end.

Eventually, the anthem fades out, and the black sky is empty for a while. Inwardly, I pray for Lavender Dreamcoat to have survived the first day… She's the only one I really interacted with before the launch, and she has branded a picture of herself inside my mind, because I cannot stop thinking about her. Everybody know that she allied herself to Caladium from Nine, but unfortunately Caladium died before the launch. So, now, she is all alone…

The sky is filled with a large picture of the first Tribute that died today. I squint my eyes to make out what the letters said. It is the District Five male- Dade…something. I bite down onto my lip; that means that most of the Careers have survived… Next that appears is Gino Cosimo from District Seven. I blink in surprise and arch an eyebrow. I thought he would survive the first day…considering his huge built which resemble him to a grizzly bear. Tyler something from District Eight follows him, his picture is a beauty with his crystalline eyes boring into mine. I heave in a deep sigh of relief, Lavender has survived. After Tyler, Joona Riddy appears in the sky- and for the first time since knowing who died, I feel a bit at loss. All Joona ever gave me was innocence and respect; no rudeness that the other Tributes gave me. And he's now dead.

I shake away my thoughts and crane my neck back to the sky, catching glimpse of a picture of Lesia Cinder from District Eleven. I only spoke to her once, when she was trying to get me to her and Jontha's ally- which I turned down. The sky immediately relapses into darkness. It has ended.

I inhale and exhale deeply, sweat form beads in my eyebrows as I lean against the sterile wall. _Lavender is alive… _At that thought, I smile tentatively. At least she doesn't have to return to her District in a wooden box yet…

I push myself up onto my feet, staggering slightly as I wearily walk towards the door. The white paint on the door is peeling in patches and beneath the mauled, splinted wood is revealed. I brush my fingers over the peeling paint, eventually my hand land onto the handle and I twist it. The door swings open, I stifle a yawn as I stride out of the room, the corridor is empty and silent. There is _nothing_ in sight.

It's safe and clear. No need to worry…

I hobble down the corridor, my feet exhausted after hours and hours of sprinting away from the centre of the ship, my hands are supported up by the walls. The lights overhead are flickering as gently as a butterfly's wings when they flutter through the air. As I crawl along, I crane my neck to side and side to scan the area in case if any other, ruthless Tribute is near enough to slaughter me.

I still can't possibly imagine that I'm in the arena. Inside a bowl filled with spilling blood, mutts, nightmares, sharp weapons and insane Tributes. I was previously an ordinary District Three boy, going through my unsatisfying, seemingly safe life- but then I'm thrown into the life of the Games after my name was picked in the Reaping bowl…

A flashback of beholding the sight of Lady Nun's laughing, callous eyes piercing through mine as I stood on the stage, over-looking the crowd of District Three. She looked _happy_ to see me reaped. She had always hated me, despised me-

Suddenly, I slam into a hard figure which darts from around the corner, and we both collapse to the hard floor. I snap my head up, my eyes widening in unmistakable fear at the impending possibility of the other person to somebody strong and ruthless enough to kill me…

But it's somebody that cause me not to believe my own eyes.

It's somebody I had been thinking about the past few days…

Lavender.

"Karmine?" she whispers feebly, her eyes instantly brim with tears. She scrambles up onto her nimble feet, and that's when I immediately take notice of the long gash which is heavily bleeding on her left leg.

"Lavender," I breath. The name sounds so lovely, so wonderful on my lips. "Are you hurt? What happened?"

She frowns at my questioning until she glances at the gash and sighs heavily. "I'm fine. There's nothing to worry about."

"But it's bleeding heavily."

"-It's fine."

"It doesn't look so," I press on, "Have you gotten it checked?"

She purses her lips and forms a serious pout as she stares at me. "You're not my ally, so don't tell me what to do."

I stare at her blatantly, shocked and withdrawn at her response. That doesn't sound like her…does it?

"What're you looking at?" she snaps, distress tainting her voice as she glares at me.

"Sorry," I mutter, shifting my gaze away. "I know you must be upset because you lost your ally." She opens her mouth to make a retort, but I cut her off, "And the Games is taking its weight on you, its making you frightened and scared."

She swallows, her cheekbones seem to be more gaunt in the flickering lights. "And I'm all alone. I have no one. I hate being alone. I lived in a large family, so I'm always used to having company, but I don't have one now."

I part open my lips but clamp them back down. I can't believe what I was going to say… I never wanted to have an ally, but for some reason, I can't bear let Lavender be all alone. She needs somebody to fall onto, somebody's shoulder to cry on. She needs me…

"I'll be your ally, if you mind," I whisper, my voice almost inaudible.

Her eyebrows knit together as she lean in closer. "What did you say?"

I gulp away the lump in my throat as I meet her vivid blue eyes. "I said- I'll be your ally. Your company."

The atmosphere is silent, tense. She doesn't say anything for a moment, but when she does, her voice is cracked and feeble. "Thank you."

After that small conservation, we stroll off by each others side, muttering words to discuss strategies and use it as an valid distraction. She tells me how she got the gash during the fight with Shine Parkhill, and how she found the weapons which she is tightly holding. The anger and adrenaline of hatred course throughout me when she tells me the story of the fight with Shine. The anger that invade me terrifies me. I never knew I contain that much anger. I never knew I can barely keep control of my fury.

I never knew I'm capable of killing Shine with the anger I feel…

"What was that?" Lavender automatically halts and cranes her neck in some particular direction. I frown and push the locks of my hair off my forehead as I pause for her.

"What is the matter?" I say aloud. To that, she immediately hushes me, her willowy finger jabbed in my direction to silent me.

"There's something, can't you hear it?" she whispers, panic lacing her voice. "Just listen…"

I purse my lips and stay motionless, silently listening for whatever it is she heard. There is nothing. Absolutely nothing; just silence. The emptiness of the ship rocks my nerves inside and fray them away in a jumble. I become increasingly nervous. _What is she listening for?_

I open my mouth to say 'there's nothing, Lavender', but a smooth shuffling of sounds invade my eardrums. My features fall, my bottom lip waver in slight fear, and I strain to listen for the distinguish sound. Lines of worry form around my lips, a dreary sensation fill me.

Another round of shuffling and clanking occur. I and Lavender exchange looks. The sound is nearer this time.

_Clank clank clank._

It sounds like a clattering of heavy chains…

* * *

**Author's Note:** Ooh, two cliff-hangers XD I'm not sure if this is a good chapter, because to me, it seems to be rushed. But I hope you enjoyed it! Also, I want to say hge thank you to 'mountain man' for urging me on to write my chapters through PMs, thank you, you don't know how you bought a smile to my face!

Sorry about another late update, I had been away for a week. But school is over! :D Also, my updates will be slower because I'm going away for a long holiday to a music concert then to France. But I'll be writing the chapters in my notepad (: Oh, and I had been writing poems lately along with planning for an original novel I'm hoping to write.

I already finished writing the next chapter (I wrote it all in my notepad when I was away)! So, if we reach over 58 reviews, I'll update it early for you guys! And, I promise it's an _interesting_ chapter… So…review (;


	7. A New Twist

**A New Twist**

A ghost of a smile grace Lilac's lips as she gazes up at the large posters filled with _significant_ information all about the Tributes: the Tributes' Profiles. There are dark secrets, fears and strengths of each single Tribute- all so useful and unbearably entertaining… Every single word of each fact is so useful, so helpful to give the Districts' children relentless nightmares.

A cackle works its way up Lilac's slender, swan-like neck as she narrow her eyes into slits that resemble to one of a snake so well. She leisurely reaches up and rips off the Profiles of now dead Tributes and tosses them into a bin with a small flick of her wrist. To her, the kids are easy to be exploited and discarded and disposed of. They are nothing more than a mere sheet of paper; they're nothing worthy to save.

A tight grimace form on her face as she recalls what the Districts did to her family… She can vividly remember being a Capitol rebel, fighting for the Districts' rights alongside many other ruthless rebels, all bend down low to destroy important things belonging to others just to grab the attention of the President. It was the old President Snow who ordered armed Peacekeepers to hunt down the rebels, but luckily, Lilac got away unscathed.

She arrived at her apartment- which she occupied with her parents- with a horrible, gut-wrenching sensation. Something told her that something _bad_ happened. And she was correct- she entered her parents' bedroom to find them dead…

They were lying on the king-sized bed, blood sprayed over the walls, organs and two hearts were littered across the deep, blue carpet. Their eyes were glazed and dark- indicating they are _dead_.

Lilac can remember the tide of grieve, agony and stress washing over her and pounding inside her head. She couldn't believe her own eyes. Her own, beloved parents were…dead.

They would never return. They would never wake up again and give her their usual, bright beams. They would never wrap their arms around her slender frame and rock her whilst she sobs and wails if she is angry about something the Capitol has gave the Districts to endure.

Lilac grits her teeth in frustration and fury as she thinks back the day when the Peacekeepers told her something that she would never expected. The authorities told her family's personal new Avox servant was…a secret District rebel, and that he was one who brutally slaughtered her parents. And she never doubted that considering she was suspicious of the Avox, she knew there was something more added to the man. She never contemplated deeply if the authorities were lying to her, she told their every word by heart, she believed them. She can experience the anger, the rage, the disbelief, the unforgiving grieve, the regret, and the hunger for revenge like it all happened just yesterday…

She never forgave the Districts for what they did to her parents- to her. She loved her parents so, so much. And the sight of them dead has rocked her, changed her forever.

"What are you thinking?"

Lilac scowls and cranes her neck to meet the grey eyes of the Head of Mutations Department: Ambrose Lockett. The old, weathered man gazes at her under the heavy lids of his eyes, lines of age and hard-work frame around his eyes and lips. Lilac respects the old man- he had been a Gamemaker for years and years since he was 33 years old- but his superior attitude irritates Lilac.

"What am I thinking?" Lilac mimics Ambrose with a nasty hint in her tone. She scrutinises the old man under her fierce eyes. "I'm thinking about the Districts, and how the Games are not harsh enough to punish them…"

Ambrose scrunches his face up to pull a grimace. "You think they're not harsh enough?"

"Of course, they are never harsh or brutal enough," she snarls, anger emitting throughout her as she recites the exact words that always resonate inside her head during the long, empty nights. "We need to make this Quarter Quell a bloody _nightmare_. We need to get the Districts bending down to their knees from the fear and terror for their children. We need them to bow down to us, to avert their eyes from us because of how they know we're so powerful, so frightening that we can easily pick them up and throw them into a dungeon filled with mutts if they spare an eye on us."

Ambrose stares at her, his expression unreadable and blank with no hint of emotion painted across his features. He remains silent as he absorbs the words she said. In the end, he twitches his lips and shrugs hopelessly.

Lilac smirks at his quiet façade. "Why are you always trying to protest against me? Don't you like any of my suggestions, my ideas?"

"It's just that…" he hesitates, carefully watching Lilac's face for any signs of reaction, "I don't think all of this is _right_."

Lilac releases a dramatic gasp, her fingers flying up to her mouth as she stares agape at him. She drops her hand and bursts out laughing- she has expected this coming from Ambrose, simply because he's a softie. "Oh, Ambrose, you are such a softie. If you don't agree with what we do to the Districts, then why are _you_ a _Gamemaker_? Why are you organising and creating mutts which are destined to kill the Tributes in agony?"

He swallows helplessly and downcasts his eyes. "I don't know… I just…feel like we're punishing the Districts for _nothing_."

"_Nothing_?!" Lilac echoes, shocked and outraged. "Nothing?! Are you kidding me? Have you learnt the history of Panem?"

"Of course I have," Ambrose mutters, shuffling his feet closer to Lilac as he stretches his hands out wide around him to emphasise his words, "But haven't you ever wondered if the Capitol did deserve to lose to the Districts? Haven't you thought that the treatment that the Capitol give to the Districts is disgusting? Haven't you ever thought that we should just get together, embrace each other and accept each other, forgive each other?"

Lilac stands motionless, glaring at Ambrose with pure hatred in her bright eyes. She couldn't believe that Ambrose just uttered those words in the Districts' defence. _Why is he on their sides? _She thought that he was on her side, that he was _there for her_. Now she doesn't doubt that he is a Capitol rebel, keen on destroying her creations in the Games, keen on trying to help the Tributes, keen on betraying her…

How can she trust him after this?

"Get out," she says with finality.

He shrugs his hunched shoulders and hobbled towards the door. Just before he walks out, he looks over at her. "Just think about it, Lilac. I know there is goodness in you, you're just afraid to believe the truth."

"I said- get out. Now."

Ambrose nods hopelessly and stumbles out of the room. Once he is out of sight, Lilac swirls around, grabs the old receiver phone and hurriedly dials a number. She presses the black phone to her ear and strains to hear the ring of the phone, and she waits whilst impatiently tapping her foot on the marble floor of her private office.

At the other end of the line, she can hear the phone being picked up and a hoarse voice speaking into the phone, "Hello?"

"It's me," Lilac bluntly says without uttering a 'hello'.

"Ah, Lilac Heavensbee, what can I do for you?" the Head Peacekeeper warmly says. She can vaguely imagine the cruel smile on his face while saying her name with a little purr.

"I want to report a Capitol rebel."

There is a pause. "And who may that be?"

"Ambrose Lockett; the Head of the Mutations Department," she replies curtly.

"Ambrose? Your dear friend?"

"He's not my 'dear friend'," she snaps furiously, her eyes flaring. "He's a betrayer, a traitor- he's not my friend, never."

"Okay, okay, calm down!" the man jokes tentatively.

"Oh shut up, are you going to be reliable or not?" Lilac snarls into the phone.

"I'm always reliable," he growls, suddenly banishing his joking manner. He says into the phone with a serious tone, "So, how do you know if he is a Capitol rebel?"

"He just told me that he believes that what we're doing to the Districts is wrong, and I _know_ he will turn onto me and is already on the Districts' side." Lilac murmurs quietly, "Just, please, keep an eye on him. If he makes any sign of being a rebel, then arrest him."

"Are you sure about that?" the man sounds concerned.

Lilac scowls menacingly; it's almost implausible how this man is getting on her nerves. She leans into the phone and sharply hisses, "Oh, I'm very sure. Do not question me any further- just do your own job."

There is a slight pause, then the man reluctantly mutters, "Okay, ma'am." With that done, Lilac slams down the phone, hanging up without another word. She heaves in a deep, airy breath and swivel around to stare shrewdly at the profiles of the Tributes.

A sharp rapping noise on the door draws Lilac's attention towards the door, eyes narrowed as she jerks the door open. There stood in the doorway is Cherryy, eyes frantic and never still as she darts them around, taking in every precise detail of the room.

"Ma'am, something terrible has happened…"

Lilac grits her teeth together in frustration and exhaustion, and licks her bottom lip before sighing. "Oh, what is it? Your boyfriend hasn't finally dumped you? No wonder, there is something repulsing and disgusting about you."

Cherryy blinks at her, swallowing heavily. "No, ma'am, it's not about my boyfriend. It's something…worse. Something involving the Games."

Now that has caught Lilac's attention. She arches an eyebrow in puzzlement and nods for Cherryy to continue. But Cherryy shakes her head, causing her vivid red strands of hair to tremble and slither down over her shoulders, and she grabs Lilac's slender wrist in a manner of urgency.

"I can't explain it; you must see it yourself. You would understand more. Now, please follow me, ma'am."

* * *

Lilac's eyebrows deepen with a heavy frown. Her pale eyes slicking throughout the room, searching for a hint of the answer she is desperate for. Since years ago, this particular moment has gotten her confused and not certain of her place. For once, she is not in charge of the situation. Whatever this issue is, it is a deeply bad one considering it gotten the Gamemakers trembling with fright- well, not exactly trembling with fright, but it has got them nervous.

After she left her private office, Cherryy took her to the Gamemakers' large meeting room, and in there awaited the rest of the Gamemakers; all held sullen looks on their faces. She immediately knew that something was wrong; something was disturbing them all. And no one would say a single explaination for the urgency to her, they just promptly told her to sit and watch something.

Right now, the wide television blares to life, the white light illuminating the dark outlines of furniture in the room, momentarily blinding Lilac. Suddenly, a tape comes on, and Lilac stares, agape and shocked at the screen.

"Is this some kind of joke?" she snaps, her eyes swivelling around to glare daggers at the Gamemakers. Cherryy nervously averts her eyes from hers, Raye smirks lightly and amusingly, and Ambrose doesn't show a trace of emotion in his expressionless face that looked like it is a mask made of ice. Lilac bares her teeth and glances at the screen again before snarling, "You're making me waste my time watching a CCTV of the roof of the Training Centre during a dark, empty night."

Silence answers her, the emptiness of the sound echoing in her ears. She scoffs derisively and wraps her arms over her chest as she glares at the television. _What a waste of time._

The elevator doors in the tape part open, exposing two Tributes, much to Lilac's dismay. The District Five Partners step out together; the dark hair of the boy blowing in the strong wind, and the girl huddles in the midst of the wind, trembling from cold. The boy gives her his jacket, smiling with warmth in his face.

"When was this?" Lilac asks the dark faces behind her.

"On the interview night, the night before the Games began," Raye replies, every word is like a whip lashing out.

"Why am I watching this nonsense?"

"Just wait and see," Raye says slyly with a smile playing with his lips.

Lilac frowns and turns to face the television screen once again. The two Tributes are talking, looking out at the view of the glittering lights of the Capitol buildings. Both are hugging, facing away from the wind as it ate away at them.

"_I'd never thought that I would get this close to a pretty girl again!"_ the boy laughs aloud. Lilac briefly recalls his name; Dade Porter.

The girl blushes. _Oh, so I'm watching two kids falling in love, am I?_ Lilac smarmily thinks.

"_Nicolet…there's something I have to tell you…" _the boy begins, _"I have no idea how I should say it, though… You must not tell anybody, you hear?"_

_Ah…now this is getting interesting._ So this boy has a secret he wants to tell Nicolet? If this secret is so terrible, then why didn't Lilac get the word about this CCTV before? Why didn't the security guards warn them about this?

"_Of course you wouldn't tell anybody…but this is important… It would get my twin brother in trouble."_

_Twin brother?_ Lilac raises her eyebrows and cranes her neck to meet Raye's amused eyes. He stares back at her, smirking slightly, his eyes sparkle with a hint of excitement…

"_My twin brother is called Dade." _

Instantly, Lilac swirls around to stare up at the screen with a solidly outraged look on her face. Slowly, she puts it all together by pieces until she eventually has a larger, clearer picture of the situation.

"_Sorry, you must be confused about what I'm on about! What I meant is…I'm not Dade,"_ the boy laughs to the sky above them.

Pure fury rushes through Lilac as she glares at the screen, waiting for more.

"_Yeah, you already know," _sighs the boy. _"It was my brother who was reaped… It wasn't me! Yes, you're thinking, then why are you here? I'm here because I was stupid and took my brother's place for our District. It was his name that had been called out. But I couldn't watch him go to the stage…I couldn't watch him die in the arena… I couldn't let him go. So I willingly took his place. Nobody, apart from my family, knew it was me… It was hard for them to know because me and my brother are identical looking._

"_In the Justice Building, my parents were…actually happy that I took my brother's place. My brother didn't want me to go. He threatened me he would tell everybody and get himself killed, only he is stopped when I told him if he reveals the truth to the Capitol, our entire family would get punished and probably killed for my stunt. So…that shut him up."_

"_Nicolet, do you want to know what is my real name?" _The weakling girl nods. _"It's Dunolos. Dunolos Porter. But please don't let anybody, not a soul, know the truth. It would get my family killed…"_

Lilac cannot even summon a disdainful laugh and a small comment about how his family are no longer safe, she is still furious to do anything apart from glare at the boy on the screen.

This boy died during the bloodbath. She thought she destroyed _Dade Porter_. She thought she overpowered him. But, no, she had been tricked. She had been played with. Dunolos Porter is perhaps the first ever Tribute to overpower her, to make her unaware of something, to keep a secret hidden.

"I've seen enough," Lilac sneers when the weaklings begin to kiss. The television switches off abruptly, leaving her in a stony darkness and silence. The Gamemakers surrounding her never dared to breath in case she would snap.

Coldness invades her, washing through her bloodstreams and freezing her with an intense form of hatred and rage. She shivered when she senses the Goosebumps along her arms, it feels like an ice-cube slipped down her back.

All she can think is the twin brother of Dunolos. The boy who got away. The boy who was reaped, but never went into the Games. The boy she now _needs_.

"Why didn't I find out about this?" Lilac snarls into the deathly darkness.

"I-I don't know…" Cherryy stutters.

"How can you not _know_? Didn't a security guard warn you about this?" Lilac demands for an answer.

"Well…you see, this is an interesting story to tell," Raye begins. Lilac can glimpse him rubbing his hands together. "The security guard wasn't doing his job. He overslept during that night, he wasn't watching the CCTVs. And so, I found out that he had been sleeping on his nightshifts. I took the tapes to watch them myself in case if something important has occurred. And I found this…" He gestures at the television screen.

_The security guard. It's all his fault that I feel so powerless_, Lilac thinks to herself. "Where is this security guard? He needs to be _punished_," she says, hissing the word 'punished'. She doesn't even pause for a second and contemplate why Raye would watch the CCTVs, even despite how odd it sound for someone superior like Raye. Briefly, she mentally tells herself to think about the subject on Raye later on.

"I know where he is." Raye smiles derisively. "If you would like, I'll show you his cell."

"_Cell?_" Ambrose shrills, bewildered.

"Yes. A prison cell. I ordered him to be taken there because I knew you would like to handle him after you watched the tape," Raye cryptically says.

Lilac gives no interest in the tone of Raye's voice; she's too busy thinking up of punishments to give the security guard. "Take me there now."

The President meets the Head

* * *

Gamemaker on the way to the cell which is in the midst of the darkest dungeons in the tunnels beneath the ground. Once Lilac and the Gamemakers left the Training Centre with a flank of Peacekeepers, Faye called up the President's mansion to tell the news of the tape, and President Black demanded to visit the security guard along with Lilac.

Lilac makes a face as her high-heeled, black boots crunched across the dirty, muddy gravel. Torches shine faintly as they pass through the dark and soiled tunnels, small streams of foul-smelling liquid gush along the sides like rivers. The walls are covered in grime, sticky and disgusting to the mere touch of your fingertips.

Lilac hates it down here. She even recall a small trace of sympathy for the Avoxs and prisoners down here, but then she dismisses that trace of emotion, because why should she care?

Raye promptly halts, the torch in his hand wavering as a gust of breeze work it way up the tunnel. Raye beckons to a wooden door with his head and mutters, "That's his cell."

The Peacekeeper in charge of the cells steps forward with a chain of keys, he fumbles through the chain and eventually sneaks in a large, iron key into the door. The door loudly creaks as it parts open, revealing a dark and rather large cell with a bedraggled man sitting in the corner.

The President steps in first, then Lilac along with three Peacekeepers and Raye. Lilac glowers furiously at the short and plump man dressed in the black and white security guard clothing. He peers up through heavy eyelids, dark circles ring his eyes. His hair is sooty and filthy, coated in dirt. On his left side of the face, he has a bruised welt and bloody scratches along his jaw.

"What happened to him?" Cherryy whimpers from behind Lilac, her eyes wide with shock.

"Oh, he solely bumped into the wrong people today," Raye says with a small smile.

"Tell us the truth- what happened to him?" Ambrose snarls. Lilac raises an eyebrow and cranes her neck to look at the Head Mutation. She has never heard him so angry, so unstable.

Raye notices the anger in Ambrose as well, but he simply shrugs. "It's no big deal. After I watched the tapes, I told some Peacekeepers to give him a big beating up."

Now that angered Lilac. "Why couldn't you just come to me and tell me about the tape? Why did you give the man punishment without my permission? _I'm_ the _Head_ Gamemaker. I make the decisions on situations like this."

Raye shuffles his feet nervously and avoids Lilac's gaze. "Sorry, ma'am, I wasn't thinking."

"Well, next time, you will have to _think_," snaps Lilac. She sighs before facing the man in the corner.

"What is your name?" President Black asks, his eyes as black as the walls.

The man gulps, his Adam-apple bobbing up and down. "Eddrick Snow, my Lord."

"Have you been sleeping during your nightshifts on watching the CCTVs?" Lilac proceeds into shooting questions at him. "Were you tired and decided to sleep? Didn't you care about being caught? Didn't you know that the tape you never watched was a significantly important one? Do you have family? Do you have children? Aren't you worried about them?"

"Ms. Heavensbee, why don't you allow the poor man to speak?" the President laughs humbly.

"Shut up," she snaps before she can think. She straightens up. "I need answers, Mr. Snow."

Eddrick Snow swallows and nods. "I don't have any family. I was tired, I'm sad to admit that I had been working all day long, so I thought a sleep…was harmless… I didn't know that there would be something important! I'm so grievously sorry! Please forgive, you don't have to keep me as your security guard anymore, just please let me go!"

"We don't need to keep you anymore, but we can't let you go. I have a question- were you _really_ sleeping?" Lilac asks in a flat tone. There is something strange in this man's behaviour as he keeps fiddling his fingers and shifting his eyes around, trying to avoid meeting her eyes. "I can sense that you are _lying_. Did you actually watch the tape of the night on the roof of the Training Centre? Are you…a Capitol Rebel?"

A course of gasps spill from the mouths around her at the last two words. Lilac's eyes twinkle when the man gapes and start to shake violently. Swivelling around, her eyes land onto the shocked and sad look on Ambrose's face.

That one expression on his face gives Lilac the determination that he is also a Capitol Rebel… But she needs proof to prove that before accusing him.

A deep grunt from behind makes Lilac swirl around to watch Eddrick Snow scramble up to his feet with a face filled with hatred. "Yes. You're right, I'm a Capitol Rebel. Do you know what? All of your greed and hunger for spilling innocent, children's blood disgusts me, repulses me. What you are doing is purely wrong! It is disgusting and _inhuman,_ and it shows that you people have no feelings, that you are filled with evil."

Silence relapses the cell, eating away at Lilac, until the President guffaws. Lilac smirks as she listens to the President's laughter. President Black waves his hands around, and shouts, "Get this man a chastity belt with a rat and let him relish the pain that is given to him. Let him rot right in this cell until he is a pile of bones."

Lilac cackles callously as she watches the mixtures of sheer terror and fear contort the man's face. With that, she spins on her heel and marches out of the room with the President.

"Well, that was fun," Lilac sighs. "Now, I have to go and get Dunolos's twin."

The President peers at her from the corner of his eyes. "What do you plan to do with the twin?"

Lilac smiles slyly. "I'm going to kill the family, but take Dade back to the Capitol. Here, I'll decide what to do with him…"

* * *

**District Five**

**Dunolos' brother**

_**Dade Porter's **_**POV**

A crash of relentless thunder resonate above the roof that shelter me and my family, the rain patter endlessly onto the roof. The only sounds that are heard in the deathly silence is the thunder roaring and the slashing of rain.

The room is lit up by an illuminating hue cast off the grey, tiny television screen. Shadows flicker on the walls as the figures on the screen dash around in a maze of corridors. The television is mute, banishing any sound of the arena that might bring up a memory of the bloodbath this morning…

My head is bent over, my dark locks shrouding over my watery eyes. The only thing that is inside my empty head is my brother; everything I think leads to him, everything I hear leads to him, everything I see leads to him… He's gone. He's forever _gone_.

He's dead.

I'll never ever see him again- not in real life. I'll never hear his jests and japes. I'll never argue with him over petty problems. I'll never see him, never watch him laugh. I have lost my brother.

Not just my brother- my _twin_ brother…

Ever since I was forced to watch my brother close his eyes and lay still beneath the Career girl, I felt something inside me _died_. Something inside me left me along with Dunolos. Something precious and important to me… That one something was a part that belonged to Dunolos. We were twin brothers, two halves- and now he's dead, so my other half is dead.

It has left me in a disturbed state, I feel so lost and depressed, so _out of place_.

It was all my fault. I allowed him to take my place… I lied to the Peacekeepers that Dunolos was me, shocked and not in my right mind, I allowed them drag him to the stage… If I never said, "It's him," to the Peacekeepers, he would be alive.

I allowed him to die.

I knew he wouldn't survive, and I just let him go just _like that_.

My mother always tells me that it's not my fault, that I tried to swap with him in the Justice Building but he wouldn't allow it. That I at least tried.

But I didn't try hard enough…

In the Justice Building, I remember him staring at me with sad eyes. He knew that he would die, but also knew that _I_ would die as well. If I went in, I would have died probably in the bloodbath… But here I am. Alive.

I don't deserve to be alive.

What made me worry was that the Gamemakers would eventually find out that Dunolos played with them, and that they would kill me and our family. But now, I simply don't care anymore. Because I know that I deserve the punishments.

Even if my family don't deserve it.

"Honey, please eat something."

I swallow away the large lump inside my throat and crane my neck up to meet the wet eyes of my mother's. Her voice sounded cracked and feeble. She's breaking apart… _You have to stay strong for our family…_

Dunolos' voice resounds inside my head from the memory of the goodbyes. He told me to be there for the family and stay strong even if he dies… I have to keep my promise…

"Okay, mother," I whisper. I pick up the lump of bread that Mother managed to buy today, and stoop it into the murky soup in my lap.

My mother watches my every moment with keen eyes as I eat the bread and soup. She sighs- sounding exhausted and broken- as she sits down onto the soiled couch beside me. Her hand rubs my back.

"We have to move on…carefully. Don't ever let anybody know that you are the real Dade, or I'll lose you as well," my mother whispers, her voice cracking. I glance over and stare at her momentarily, watching the tears sliding down her cheeks, after a couple seconds of silence, I reluctantly nod.

A loud knock at the door penetrates through the silence, causing me to jump in alarm. My little sister, Jorgi, skips to the front door and swings it open. I stand up to find out whoever it is at the door.

Zilbra saunters into the dark room, and suddenly I scowl. I have no idea what Dunolos saw in this prick. Zilbra and I used to be close friends, until we had a massive fall out. I guiltily have to admit that I was in the wrong, however Zilbra's arrogance and pride angers me.

I study Zilbra's red eyes, pallid face and messy, bronze-red hair. It is obvious that Dunolos was a close friend to Zilbra because they practically hang around together all the time, also the current state of this boy translate his grieve and loss.

Zilbra unwillingly meets my eyes and he mutters, "I'm sorry for your loss."

Those simple words instantly bring tears to my eyes and I collapse back onto the couch. Mother grasps my hand in her shaking one, Jorgi watches the scene with wide, frightened eyes, and Zilbra bites down on his lip with wet eyes. A flash of lightning soar across the black sky outside the windows.

I still haven't seen Dunolos' girlfriend, Galle, but I bet that she has already gotten over what happened today. I always knew she wasn't really in love with Dunolos. In fact, she is more likely to be angry with him because it is rumoured that Dunolos and the mute girl called Nicolet fell in love.

"Do you hear that?" Jorgi squeaks nervously. I frown and listen carefully.

There is a rush of footsteps crunching on gravel outside our house… I glance to the window just in time to spot men in white along with a woman who has long, white hair… Peacekeepers and Lilac Heavensbee.

Suddenly, chaos takes hold of my life.

The Peacekeepers smash the glass windows, broke down the door and rush in like rivers of white. In comes, behind them, is Ms. Heavensbee. Her eyes pierce through mine with a greedy, blood-thirsty look…

I hear her utter five words, "Kill his family and friend."

A protest spill from my lips, my arms lash out to pull my mother in behind me. But it is too late. It was all a swirl-storm. The Peacekeepers instantly pull out black guns and aimed at my mother, my baby sister and Zilbra. And three bangs course throughout the air, echoing in my ears as the bullets pierce through the bodies of my family and Zilbra.

Just as I grab my mother, she collapses, limp and lifeless. Her eyes glassy and frozen. A bloody hole in the centre of her forehead. Desperate, I look over to my sister. But she also lies slack, dead. She and Zilbra, both, stare up at me with a bloody hole in each of their heads…

It all happened too quickly.

"Grab the boy and take him with us," commands the woman who ordered these people dead.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Soooo sorry! I'm probably the worst author ever! You have no idea how guilty I feel about this, I feel like I'm the most ungrateful writer. I can't believe you guys got this story over 60 reviews when I had been so awful. You have no idea how I'm feeling like I'm the crappiest author on Fanfiction.

But, well, time flew by and I hadn't checked the emails, then BAM I was in France for a couple of weeks. I knew that I should have updated but, I was so busy and my mum wouldn't allow me to stay long on the computer. I know that some of you must have thought that I died or something, but I'm alright, just tired from my holiday and also Bring Them To Their Knees clan had been busy since I was away, so I'd to look through everything to understand what was going on. I just hope that you enjoyed this chapter and liked it! Also, at the moment, there's something wrong with the internet where I live, so it takes FOREVER for me to get onto Fanfiction -.-

Oh, and did any of you watch the Olympics? I only watched the showjumping, cycling, rowing, running and gymnastics. One last thing! You all ought to check out RuexxRose's SYOT called Shot in the Dark, because it's really good and she's just a lovely person. I swear, if you don't check it out I'll feed you all nightlock ;)


	8. Blood

**Day Two, Part One- Blood**

* * *

**District Six**

_**Cohen De Luca's**_** POV**

_Creak. Creak. Creak._

The noise is resounds in my ears, causing disturbing, jarring pains against my eardrums and vibrating throughout my head. My eyes are heavy and closed. My bottom lip quakes violently. My fingers tremble with a slight tremor.

_I run on ice. Feet skidding over the place as I fight my way to the tower that topples ominously over the icy landscape._ _The wind howl and whistle through my locks, whisperings of ghosts echo in my ears. The ice beneath my feet make creaking noise as it gradually break and crack…_

_The tall doors of the tower loom above me as the ice suddenly slope downwards, down and down I descend. Far away from the tower. The windows are lit, and butterflies flutter playfully from them and into the vast world outside. The doors grow taller and taller. The black roof pierce through the grey clouds like a knife cutting through butter. _

_My feet eventually slip beneath me, and I come tumbling down the hill of ice. _Thump, thump, thump,_ as I go._

"_No!" a voice cry from the tower. "No!"_

_But it's too late. I'm falling into the endless pitch of darkness and ice._

"_No, Cohen!" the voice shrieks, "Cohen!"_

_The voice forces hairs on my neck to stand in protest, like an ice cube has just slid down the back. I know that voice._

"_Cohen! Help me!" It's Eveliina._

"_Eveliina!"_

_The butterflies fluttering from the windows instantly turn mottled and black until they crumple away like ashes in the wind. Blood flow down the side of the tower from the corners of the windows. Dark blood with a sickening stench that fill the stiff air._

"_Help me!" the voice screams louder._

"_Cohen, wake up," the voice suddenly whispers in my ear, and I groan as the tower disappear like leafs in the breeze._

"Cohen, please wake up," the familiar voice whispers again. I shake my head as I blink groggily in the light. Once the blurriness disperses, I recognise where I am.

I'm in a dim-lit room with Eveliina Burridge. On the ship. Trapped in the arena…

What I just experienced was just a dream… It was nothing to worry about.

"Cohen, you need to drink this." Eve holds out a plastic cup. I reach up towards it with my left arm, but promptly drop it and wince in pain. There is an aching pain coursing through my left arm… I squeeze my eyes shut in pain, and try to remember what happened.

Oh yes, I remember. I was going to _kill_ Eveliina, but then a mutt appeared out of nowhere and bit my arm… I guess I deserve it, because I had been horrible to Eve. I part my eyes open to see Eve blinking away tears. _What is she doing here?_

"Is your arm still hurting?" she asks, her voice cracking and inaudible.

I nod reluctantly. She sighs and purses her lips together in thought.

"I wish we can get a sponsor gift with a lotion that would help your arm or something," she murmurs thoughtfully.

"Don't worry about it," I say, trying to make her content, however my teeth are gritted in pain so she doesn't my word for it.

"You're in pain," she whispers feebly. "Also, you have to drink this- you must be thirsty." She tips the cup against my lips and drains the water down my mouth. When she pulls away, I lick my lips and realise how hungry and thirsty I am.

"Thank you," I say, not daring to ask for any food, "What are you doing here, though?"

She stares at me, shocked and hurt. "Don't you want me to be here? Do you want me to _leave_? I'm here to help you, if I leave you all alone- you'll die."

"Then leave me all alone, then."

She blinks, incredulous. "You're not giving up, are you? No, no, no!"

"There's no way I'll be able to survive this bloody Games. You need to leave me here and look after yourself. You should be looking out for yourself, not for me," I say sternly. Inside my head, my voice is screaming, _this is the only way to get her to stay alive, even if it is to break her heart_.

However, she glares at me with a stubborn look in her eyes. "I'm _not_ leaving you! Got that? I'm staying here with you. I care about you, and I want both of us to be together. Also, you are in a terrible pain so you need me."

"I'm absolutely fine, Eve," I insist. But she gives me a sceptical look.

"No, you're not."

"I'm perfectly fine, honestly!"

"You are such a liar. I know how much pain you are in. It take you a while to stop screaming in pain." She pulls a thin blanket over my body and smiles softly at me. "This is embarrassing to say…but I think I'm in love."

I swallow, tears threatening to spill from my eyes as I watch her ever facial expression. _No, no, no, how am I going to protect her?_

Ever so slowly, she leans down and over me. Her dark strands cascading over her shoulders and licking at my face. Her beautiful, large green eyes roam over my face, drinking in every single feature and line. Here, close enough, I can catch glimpse of small flecks of brown colours in her eyes. Her lips tip up into a sweet, little smile.

Her fingertips slide along my jaw, up over my cheekbones, skimming over my forehead, around my eyes, over my eyebrows, down the bridge of my nose, and lingering on my lips. Her merest touch strike an enticing sensation inside me.

Immediately, a burst of longing and pure desire over-power me as I sink into the green hills inside her eyes.

"And I know you feel the same for me…" she hesitates. I immediately shift my gaze over to the peeling walls, a nervous twitch in my cheek. "All night last night, in your sleep, you had been whispering my name."

Did I? Oh God. How could I betray myself in my sleep?

"Cohen, why can't you just allow yourself to be happy for once? If we're both going to die, why don't we just enjoy our last few days…together?"

My eyes instantly flick back to hers. Just before I can make a word, she slams her lips onto mine…

And I'm lost in my own world. The world becomes based on her. Just her. The smell of her hair, the touch of her hands cupping my cheeks, the taste of her lips. A moan escapes my lips against my own will, and I feel her lips tipping into a small smile on my own. Slowly, it all happens in slow motion, I nibble onto her bottom lip until she allows me access to her mouth, and my tongue explores her until her own tongue entangles with mine.

_No, this is wrong._

I break apart, heaving in a big breath as disappointment fill me. I have to admit, that was the best experience ever. Eve frowns and leans in again, but I shake my head. "I'm not sure… I just feel…wrong about this…"

Eve averts her watery eyes down to the floor before she takes hold of my left arm tentatively and unwrap the piece of cloth around it. She doesn't even say a word. I know she is pissed off at me…

"Where did you get the water, the blanket and the cloth?" I ask, trying to change the subject.

She mutters, "I fought a mutt to get into this room. And these stuff were in here." She gestures at the various items of different things: water bottles, a bowl of soup, a loaf of bread, another grey blanket, a sleeping bag. "Are you hungry?" Eve reaches for the loaf of bread and tears away a piece.

I nod, and instantly chew on the bread like a starved wild dog. The light outside the window gradually turn purple and orange as dawn emerges. Eveliina carefully unwrap the last fold of the cloth, and abruptly gasp and drop her hand.

I dart my eyes towards her, puzzled and panicked as I search for any answer for her sudden fear in her eyes. "What is wrong?"

"I-It's your a-arm," she gasps out between pants of terror.

"What about it!?" I shriek, suddenly too scared to lift up my arm to look.

She glances over and gently lifts up my arm for me to see… And the sight of my wound forces out a sharp intake of a gasp.

The wound is…black.

* * *

**District Four**

_**Alice Potts' **_**POV**

"It's going to work brilliantly! We'll get that little prick and slam him back in his correct position. We'll show him who is boss."

I mentally roll my eyes at Avalon's ranting. _Will she ever stop talking?_ Admittedly, I find Avalon and Brandi- my _allies_- irritating and immature. By the means of immature, I mean that I think they are not wise and mature enough to make plans like _this_. I just know that it is going to be an epic fail…

But I just can't confess it to them. They're so eager and desperate to make this trap work out perfectly, that I can't just ruin it for them.

Running footsteps occur outside the door, the rapping sound bouncing along the wooden flooring. I couldn't resist it any longer so I peer through the crack of the door to see what is the scene like outside the room. Far down the long and narrow corridor, Brandi is dodging Shawn's sharp blows, her blonde hair whirling in the air as she dances across the corridor to duck away from his vicious slashes. Her movements are swift and nimble, but Shawn is gaining on her quickly with his long sword, that he slowly forces her up to the wall…

I watch in utter fear and dread as Shawn advances onto her with a sickening smile on his pallid face. _I was right! All of this would end in disaster!_

Unexpectedly, Brandi bends down to avoid Shawn's next swift blow directed to her neck. She tumbles away and jumps from behind Shawn, her hand flies through the air and smacks Shawn on the head which causes him to grunt in frustration and rage. He swirls around in a blur of fury and mightiness. The sword in his hand flashes through the air like a dangerous and murderous lightning.

Brandi side-steps the next wide-swept slash, her feet skidding over the floor like it is only a dance. Suddenly, Brandi kicks out into Shawn's shin. Shawn releases a gasp of pain as he clutches his knee, his face contorting into a mixture of purple and red. His eyes follow Brandi's every precise movement as she darts down the corridor towards the door.

I lunge backwards when Brandi twists the doorknob and enters the sterile, white room in a rush of panic and excitement. On her face is a dazzling smile, so big and eager that it makes me gag a little in my mouth. _How could she find pleasure in doing this? _I know that Shawn is a sick and insane boy, but still he is just like us- he's human. He doesn't deserve this. We all don't deserve death.

"Oh, you're running away?" Shawn calls out from the corridor, his voice hostile and menacing. "Why not come out here and fight?" A slow stumble of footsteps work its way towards the door. "Don't you want to kill me? Don't you want to get your revenge?" His voice increases its volume as he nears the white door. "Don't you hate me?" A small clatter of metal against plain wall resound. "Are you a wimp? Why are you hiding behind a door? Are you scared of me?" The door slowly opens.

I literally jump out of my skin when Brandi abruptly grabs my arm and yanks me behind the door along with her and Avalon. I eye the invisible wire with a cautious manner. What if it doesn't work?

The door creaks as the hinges threaten to collapse. The point of the long sword enters the room first, the tip of it coated in blood. A shadow stretches along the opposite wall as the ruthless boy sneaks into the room. Shawn slowly amble into the room, confidence and arrogance radiating off him, his eyes never shift towards us. He sways the sword restlessly with that manner of impatience as he slowly works his way to the centre of the room. Thankfully, it appears that he can't see the wire, so in seconds flat he steps into the snare and the hoop of wire tighten onto his foot, And after a small tug of the wire, Avalon pulls the wire up to the ceiling, leaving Shawn hanging in midair. His arms flail around wildly, his free leg flop hopelessly as he hangs in the air upside down.

His eyes land onto us, and they narrow into icy slits that pierce through us. "_You!_"

Brandi strides out with her hands on hips, her eyes filled with victory. "Never thought this would be a trap, did ya?"

The boy hisses in fury, his face transforming into a deep colour of red as the blood in his body rush down to his head. He lashes out with his sword in determination to cut Brandi open from her collar bone to her waist, but Brandi neatly steps back. "What are you going to do me?" his voice rises to a loud shrill.

He's getting nervous, and has worked out that he is outnumbered…

Avalon steps out into the light from behind me, her dark, spiky hair glisten like black diamonds. She saunters with a brooding confidence up to Shawn's face, and she jerkily forces her face to butt into Shawn's. "We're going to _kill you_, bastard." Shawn glares up at her with a pure hint of hatred in his icy eyes.

"Ava, you should step back, because he could cut you with his sword," I pipe in, concern seeping in my voice.

Avalon doesn't even bat an eyelid or move her gaze towards mine; she is self-absorbed into glaring at Shawn. "I'm fine. He can't hurt me."

"He might."

She makes a small, displeased grunt low in her throat, and simply ignores me. "Shawn, was it who killed Gino Cosimo?"

_Oh God, is this the reason why she is so set on killing Shawn?_ I purse my lips together and lithely fold my arms. _Revenge. That's what Brandi and Avalon are both so into…_

"Who?" Shawn spits out. His unreadable expression suddenly flicker with confusion. That one facial expression expresses that he is definitely not Gino's murderer… But, who is Gino's murderer?

"Gino Cosimo; the male of District Seven!" Avalon yells into his face, spittle spraying all over his face.

Shawn rises an eyebrow which causes hundreds of wrinkles due to being upside down. "I never killed a District Seven. I killed a District Nine, that's all I killed…so far."

Suddenly, it is like slow motion as Shawn swings his sword, aiming straight at Avalon's neck. Avalon cranes her neck and widens her eyes as the sword flies towards her. She leans backwards to avoid the fast blow, but she is too late…

The red-tipped sword slash across her swan-like throat and opens it. She stumbles backwards, her arms flailing around her like she is trying to fly. A line of blood on her neck is half-way through her entire throat, so blood gush like vicious rivers. She bends down to her knees, the clattering of her knees hitting the hard, cold floor echo through the room. On her face is a shocked expression- mouth gaping open like a fish, eyes white and wide as the eyeballs roll back into her skull, face chalky and as pale as bones, and sweat drop like beads down her forehead.

She falls back to the floor with a crash, and finally the light fade from her eyes…

She's dead. My own ally is dead… Dead in front of me. And I didn't do a single thing to help…

"Alice! Help me!"

I jerk my head up, dizziness over-take me so the room spins around me. My body topples backward, my hands fly out to hold onto the wall. Gradually, the world stops spinning around me, and I face my nightmare…

Shawn and Brandi are fighting. Shawn is no longer hanging in midair, he is free and roaming over the hard floor with that dangerous blade in his hand. _How did he get free?_ Wait…did he cut the wire with the sword after he slashed open Avalon's throat? Yes, of course he did.

"Alice, for fucking sake, help me here!" Brandi screeches in terror. She battles with Shawn, weapon-less and vulnerable… I lunge forward and clamber onto Shawn's back, my arms lock around his throat and tighten. Shawn grunts and continues with his slashing, his Adam-apple presses on my arm, but I tighten harder. Finally, Shawn backs away from Brandi as he pushes his back roughly to the wall. Pain shoot through my spine as the hardness of the wall knock me, but determination fill me so I ignore the pain and tighten even harder.

Shawn's arms lash over his head, trying to hit me with the sword, but I'm just out of reach. Without expecting anything, Shawn bashes me against the wall again and again and again, until I'm knocked completely off him. I collapse to the floor in a twist of limps, my spine is filled with sheer agony that I groan in pain, my eyelids flutter as the world darken.

I catch glimpse of Shawn kicking Brandi until she is completely unconscious, then he turns onto me… A grin is alight on his face, and the smile is red and monstrous, because the blood he choked up paint his cracked, yellow teeth. He ambles slowly towards me, toying with the sword in his hands. He is obviously playing with me… He wants me to feel fear cutting away at me. He wants me to beg for my life.

A flash of Storm's pretty, little face brand itself on my brain, filling me with a newfound sensation of desperation to fight for my life. I crawl slowly up to my feet, my legs and arms and fingers are slow to respond to what I urge them to do.

But Shawn raises his sword up high in the air, ready to plunge it straight through my throat. And I'm weapon-less. There's no possible way to fight back…

Suddenly, Shawn grunts and doubles over, his sword flying out of his slack grasp. Standing behind him is a girl I don't recognise… A girl with a rose tattoo on her ankle. A girl with light brown hair held up in a high ponytail. A girl with piercing, blue eyes that can cut right through you. She is of average height with undistinguished features.

She must be the new District Nine Tribute… _What is her name?_ I search my head for the simple answer, but nothing surface my mind.

The girl skirts around the body to pick up the sword. Her grasp on the sword is limp and not tight enough which indicates that she has never touched a weapon before. She stares down at Shawn as the boy glowers at her with prominent surprise in his eyes. He doesn't know who she is as well…

With a quick and slightly jerky slash, the girl rams the point of the sword straight in the middle of Shawn's chest.

* * *

**District Ten**

_**Genevieve Sandor's **_**POV**

I'm all alone… Utterly and desperately alone. Alone without a friend or ally to walk with.

Tears pool in my eyes as I climb up the steep, endless spiral of stairs. Shadows creep along the walls with me. That's my only company- shadows. The silence of the ship rake its claws through me with that desperate need for noise. I wouldn't even care if it is battle noise that fills my ears, or the growl of a vicious mutt; at least they would get rid of the persistent silence.

Eventually, the spiral of stairs end, and I face a long corridor with no doors. At the end of the corridor, where it is a dead-end, there is a wall with a portrait of a person in a golden, glistening frame…

I squint my eyes, my eyebrows knitting together to form a curious frown. _Who is in the portrait? And why is there a portrait on this deserted ship?_

Hesitantly, I walk through the corridor, my feet making soundless, soft noise, my white, sailor skirt fray around my knees as a soft breeze works its way through the fabric. I shift my eyes nervously down to my skirt, taking notice of the breeze. I crane my neck over my shoulder, the locks of my dark brown hair falling down my back like waves. The soft wind is coming from the stairs… There was no breeze when I came up it, only stiff, stuffy air that clenched my lungs.

Someone or _something_ has came through the door and left it wide open to allow the wind from outside to enter… Is that thing following me?

A tiny screech resound, and suddenly rain platter onto the roof above my head. I snap my head upwards, realising that it is raining outside. The only type of weather so far had been nice, warm and sunny- not too hot.

Another screech echo from down the stairs. A scratching noise, like claws on wood, reach my ears. The sound is coming nearer and…nearer… Its definitely coming for me.

I swirl back to the front, my eyes expanding until they are the size of large saucepans, my bottom lip begin to quiver reluctantly. Against my own will, I whimper like a frightened puppy. I don't have a weapon, any supplies, or anything- nothing to defend myself…

_Is this my end?_

_Is this going to be my last day?_

No, no, it can't be! I'll have to fight back, I have to survive this Games. I have to return home and give my mother and brothers a massive hug. I immediately sprint down the long, endless corridor towards the dead-end with the portrait. Once I'm at the end, I glance up at the portrait and am awestruck at the sight of it. It is gigantic- it actually stretches from side to side, floor to ceiling- and the golden frame is most definitely real gold as it gleams in the dim lights like jewels meddled together, and the person in the frame is somebody I had not expected to see…

The person sitting in the portrait with a wide, smug smile is the Head Gamemaker, Lilac Heavensbee. Her glossy, blonde hair cascade down her shoulders, her pale eyes seem to look straight into your soul.

A screechy howl resonate above the platter of raindrops overhead, I swivel slowly to lay my eyes on an ugly mutt. The mutt is most definitely a dog, but it has no fur, only thin skin is draped over its bare skeleton. Its legs and stomach contain hardly any fat; you could see its bones and ribs prodding through the dark skin. Its eyes are like two small, black beads, and it has a nasty wolfish smile on its bony face. The pair of tiny ears are flattened against the scalp the instant it looks at her.

Promptly, the creature begins to move forward… Its thin claws are dig into the wooden flooring like needles. It makes another half screech, half howl. And it sounds…thirsty…

My body automatically starts to produce wet moisture and my hair becomes damp and slack with sweat. My hands form into fists, and my knuckles gleam like white snow. My breathing gradually become laboured and swallow. _How am I going to survive this? There's no way out of this…_

In a flash, the mutt disappears…

My eyes flutter in surprise, my chest heave along with my pants as I scrutinize the now-empty corridor… There are no deep marks in the wood, no scratches on the floor, no scent of the creature is left behind; not a single trace of the mutt is evident… It just vanished.

Despite the beast being gone and no longer around to hurt me, I still clamour backwards on my wobbly feet until I push myself up to the wall with the portrait of the Head Gamemaker.

Almost instantly, the wall behind me creaks as if it is falling apart… The horrible creaking noise fill my ears. I slowly turn around, my eyes widening like I have seen a ghost. The wall is sliding to the right into the wall through a narrow slit, and it makes a prominent scraping sound on the solid floor, forcing me to wince. The raucous noise of the wall sliding on the floor resound through the stiff air, and as promptly as it began, it stops.

I squint my eyes as they adjust to the dimly-lit room, bright lights illuminate the walls from square objects that appear to be computers. A wide, tinted window at the front of the room over-looks the front of the white ship and the stretching landscape of glistening blue. There are seagulls swooping in the wind and cawing out endless cries. The waves of the sea overlap each other in a vicious manner, which gives you the sense that if you fall off the ship, the waves would take you deep down in the depths of water. A powerful, ominous sleet of rain storm down onto the waters below. The clouds overhead are inked with black.

I freeze at the sight of the overlooking world. There is no trace of anything else out in the wide, wide ocean. There are no islands dotting the blue sea, not a single hint of grass or trees in sight. It is all vast, deserted, isolated and empty…

A growl from behind me resound in my ears. I swirl around to come face-to-face with the wrinkling beast again… The beast is now only two feet away from me… It's needle-like fangs prod from its thin, bloodless line of a mouth. Its eyes glower directly at me, its intentions prominent in the pair of beady eyes. It is intending to slaughter me…

I spin on my heel and run into the shadowed room, the lights casting off the computers blinding me as I hit the edge of a desk with small televisions on top of it. My fingers shake as my eyes skim over the dozen of buttons on a dashboard. There's a huge, red button in the centre, the aura around it giving off a feeling of danger. I eye it for a moment, but then a button with small words branded into it catches my attention. This button says, _Close the door_.

I slam my fist onto it.

And the wall/door lurch back to its usual position, the loud, scraping noise filling the air with a sense of relief. The mutt leaps backwards, narrowly missing being lodged between the door and the wall. Once the door is in its place, I let go of a deep breath, releasing all of my dread and lost hopes. _It's okay, the mutt cannot get me here._

Suddenly, a loud bump occur from behind me, and I swivel to see a seagull sliding down the tinted window, its head literally smashed in…

I shudder, the hairs on my back rising in apprehension. Back home, in District Ten, when a bird accidentally kills itself by flying into a window means bad luck is in your blood…

Does that mean I have bad luck in my own blood?

Would bad things happen to me? Is this room not the safe haven for me when seconds ago I felt like it _is_ to me?

I scan the room briefly, immediately realising what room I'm in. This is a room where the usual driver of a ship would reside in… There is the large steering wheel at the front. A dozen of different pulling levers running along the wall beside the steering wheel. A various of buttons adorn the dashboard with the usual gears and items you see in cars- I honestly don't remember what they are used for. And then…there are small televisions, the boxed versions that you use for only CCTV. I gaze at the televisions, realising that these cameras watch the corridors and rooms and halls and stairs on this exact ship.

A ghost of a smile flutter over my lips, it feels weird to smile for only a second, because I have never smiled since the Reaping Day which feels like it was months ago… I walk carefully towards the televisions. As I watch the empty corridors, I begin to expect that this is only a trap, but then two stumbling figures walk down a corridor. I recognise them as Jontha Leve and Nicolet Oaster. _Are they allies now?_

I halt the spinning chair and perch myself onto it, watching the televisions with precise. A sensation of safety hangs over me, _I'm safe here. No one can find me here. But I can watch other Tributes from here…_

Why did I think this room is bad luck before? This room will protect me. I can even steer the ship if I like. I can do anything to this ship from this room…

* * *

**District Eleven**

_**Jontha Leve's**_** POV**

My injured leg hobbles as we walk down a corridor, trailing behind slightly, making scraping noise as it skids over the wooden flooring.

"It's quiet here, isn't it?"

I glance over at Nicolet to see her nodding her head with nervous twitches on her cheeks. This girl is so timid and shy, that it makes me feel awkward talking to her. But the thing is, she can't talk, so it's more like I'm talking to myself.

Nicolet meets my eyes and gives me a timid smile. Her smile is shy, but still it lights up her entire face. She has dirty, untameable, blonde hair that shrouds over half of her porcelain face and conceals most of her facial expressions. She has very dark brown eyes that can change to jet black when she is not happy with something.

Already, I'm learning her attitude and personality, and I like her. She's nice to me. She's quiet. She's a bit like me, to be frank. Like me, she isn't confident or loud.

The loudest person I ever knew was Lesia… _Lesia_. My loyal and best friend, who got killed by the ruthless and scary beast of District Ten. My friend who was going to protect and look after me throughout the Games just to get me out of the arena, alive.

Now, she's dead. No longer here to make me give a rare smile and laugh. I will never see the sparkle in her eyes when she laughs at the randomness of life.

I can actually see her face floating in front of me. Her long, brown hair gleam with a soft gloss. Her eyes sparkle as a vivid green. Her smile is broad and fills me with a brief sensation of happiness. I reach out to trace the lines of her smile, but once I touch her face, she cracks apart and peels away…and the person left in her place is the murderer who killed her.

He grinned a mocking smile, his teeth gleaming like a shark's fangs. His eyes are full of taunting lies and twisted truths. Almost immediately, he crumbles away.

A hand rub my arm, causing Goose pimples to run up and down my arms at the chill of the hand. I look up and exchange a small look with Nicolet. At least, here is somebody who knows how I feel- she lost somebody close to her.

"I'm fine, it's okay," I lie softly.

She purses her lips in puzzlement, she doesn't believe me. However, she drops the subject and we continue walking down a corridor. So far on day one, we only have been walking around, unfortunately not being able to find any weapons, supplies or food and water. To everybody else, all of this walking around is unnecessary, but me and Nicolet are working our way down to bottom of the ship. Simply because we rationally thought that its best if we stay away from the top level where most of other Tributes must be.

As we go deeper and deeper, the corridors gradually become darker and longer. There are less, empty halls around here, and the rugs along the floors are more ragged and soiled, and the lights overhead are bare, flickering bulbs. We open another splintered, moulding door, entering a narrower corridor with no rugs now.

"It's getting darker as we go deeper…" I whisper to Nicolet. A feeling of dread filling me. For the hundredth time, I day-dream of scaling massive trees. The knowledge that I'm going to the bottom, instead of to the top makes me feel uneasy and not at home. The smell of the rotting wood reach my nostrils; grime drip down the walls, filling the air with that heavy, murky odour.

We have no weapon. No blade, no sharp iron end, no spear head. Nothing useful to battle with the sick Careers. Those monsters. It was them who killed my best friend… It was the District Ten male, who was a part of the Careers. It's their fault. But, still, I blame myself. It me who responsible for how slow we were for getting away from the bloodbath spot. It was me who complained as we sprinted away, complained about how my leg hurt. It was my fault that the Career caught up with us and murdered Lesia…

Nicolet grabs my arm, stopping me. I shift my eyes towards her. Her eyes are large and round, like she has seen a ghost. Her finger trembles as she points up towards the end of the corridor. I swivel as a scrambling sound occur, and I gasp. Fear prominent in my eyes as I gaze at a huge, black spider…

The spider is so massive, its legs are five feet long and it has to crouch and crawl through the corridor. There is a thick, long layer of fur coating the creature, coarse, brittle hair that can be brushed and plaited if anybody dared to go near it. And on its head, there are three, black eyes…

_Oh God, no._

I frantically clutch Nicolet's arm, slightly pulling her in front of me. She sharply glances at me with a bewildered look, she opens her mouth, but, of course, no words come out. She wave her arms around like a newborn bird flapping its wings.

Her face tells me exactly what she wants to say, _Are you going to sacrifice me?_ The look she's giving me indicates what a coward I am…

"But I am…a coward. I'm sorry," I whisper, my voice cracking and seeping with remorse.

Her eyes fill with hurt. I swallow, my Adam-apple bobbing recklessly down and up my throat as I prepare myself to betray my ally… This is the only way to survive. This is how you outlive the others in the Hunger Games, by stabbing them in the backs. This is the bitter truth about the reality- how you are only allowed to protect yourself. I have to do this for myself and my mother.

"_Don't do it."_

I gasp, dumb-struck by the familiar voice in my head. _Lesia?_

"_Just don't do it, you can't just kill your ally. She's your only trustworthy friend and ally now."_

"Lesia? Is that you?" I ask nothing in particular. Nicolet shoots me an abashed look. "Are you still there?!"

"_I'm here. I'm not going to leave you, not ever. Now, push your friend behind you, and back away from the spider,"_ she says, blunt and matter-of-fact as usual.

I briskly obey, shoving Nicolet around me, so she is protected behind me. "Now, we run back the way we came, Nico."

She darts me a glance, but nods eagerly and swirls around and sprints off. I follow her just in tow, craning my neck to check the distance between us and the giant spider every occasion.

"_Now run until you find a stairway, and go down there. When you're at the bottom of the stairway, the spider shouldn't be able to go down the spiral of stairs, because it is much too large and is rather handicapped to be able to go down. Then you must go into a room and shut the door, bolt it with whatever you find,"_ Lesia orders monotonously. Somehow, her voice sounded strange…it vaguely sounded like her now, nonetheless it is still her- I know it is.

I go through the exact routine she has mentioned; stumbling down an endless spiral of stairs, ignoring the sharp pain shooting throughout my leg, running into a room and slamming the door shut. I press myself up to the door, briefly hoping that my weight would be enough to stop the spider entering.

I glance at Nicolet, and spot her looking at the centre of the room. There is a small table- the one which you would find beside a bed- and on top is a dozen of items. She tentatively picks up a notebook and pen, a broad smile lighting up her face. Immediately, she scribbles down something inside the lined notebook, and holds it up for me to read:

_Now, I can communicate with you easily!_

I flash her a smile, but return my focus onto my weight against the door. I strain to listen for any sounds of Lesia's voice, but there is only silence and Nicolet busying as she scribbles inside the notebook. Did she leave me…again?

"Did you leave me alone, again?" I whisper quietly, making my words inaudible so Nicolet wouldn't hear them. She looks at me with a questioning look, though.

"_No, I will never leave you alone again. I'm always here now."_

My shoulders sag down in relief, and I just realise how I was holding my breath and my entire posture was stiff. The relief gushes throughout me, making me smile inwardly. _She's here. She'll never leave me alone._

"Thank you…" I say in a hushed whisper, the corners of my lips taut as they uphold the timid smile. Nicolet's eyebrows furrow together in confusion, and she quickly scribbles something down on her notebook. She holds it up:

_Are you talking to me?_

I shake my head in respond- there's no reason to lie. She will soon figure out that I'm hearing Lesia's voice, because she is basically a clever girl despite being mute and lacking in confidence.

_Then, who are you talking to?_

I bite down onto my lip. Should I tell her?

"_Don't tell her. She wouldn't like to know that you can hear me. She knows that I'm dead,"_ Lesia murmurs, sounding hostile and menacing.

"But she lost somebody as well, she would understand," I protest, my hands tightening in a defiant manner.

"_She won't, she won't, she won't. Just tell her, and you'll realise that I'm correct."_

I grit my teeth, hating myself for betraying Lesia. I meet Nicolet's bewildered eyes, and part my lips open to force out the words that hang on my tongue reluctantly, "I can hear my best friend. She's here with me. She never left me. It's Lesia I'm talking to…"

Nicolet frowns, the skin around her eyes wrinkling, her lips pull taut as she bites down onto her bottom lip, cracking through the soft skin of her lip. She doesn't write down anything. She just watches me.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Ooh, why do you think Jontha can hear Lesia's voice in his head? Go on, have a guess!

Anyway, I'm going to be looking for a cover for this story, so be patient until I can find a suitable cover (:

Secondly, this summer holiday is cray-cray for me. Families keep coming over, so my mum is just like, 'Get off that computer and be polite'. But I'm doing my best ;)

Next chapter will be even more crazy than this one…so review please ;) I'll try my best to reply to your wonderful reviews! Oh, and I hope you all have a good summer (if it is summer at wherever you live XD)!


	9. Sorry

Hello you all.

Yes, yes, I know I'm horrible for not updating this SYOT in like years (well, not years, more likely months), but I had no inspiriation or anything that would help me continue writing this story.

So, I'm really sorry to say this, but this author's note is to tell you all that I'm stopping this story and won't be continuing it any longer. I'm so sorry if you're disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, you all are lovely and your characters are WONDERFUL! I really enjoyed writing them, that it's really hard for me to give up on this story. All of your reviews had made me smile and made my confidence grow immensely. With you guys and this story, my writing improved massively and I don't regret starting this SYOT up even though at first I had no big plans for it.

Please don't think that I take all of your support for granted, it's my fault that I have no inspiration for it. I did have a LOT of plans- all horrible and wonderful- for the future of this story, but then it just all got lost for me, like I had no idea how to keep it all in my head.

Right, I know if you're continuing this story just to find out who the Victor would be; I'll tell you who I've decided would be the Victor a while ago. I'll give you a list of the final eight Tributes, and the Victor.

Shine Parkhill, D1

Gilead Wright, D2

Lianna Maryia, D2

Alice Potts, D4

Eveliina Burridge, D6

Lavender Dreamcoat, D8

Katherine McManus, D9,

Lynx Rachen, D10

And the Victor is…Gilead Wright! Congratulations mountainman91! Your Tribute won!

The Final Three would have been Lianna Maryia, Gilead Wright and Nicolet Oaster. Who killed who, and how Gilead won are up to your own imagination.

…

Now, here's a different subject I need to tell you guys (:

I had no inspiration to continue this SYOT, so I had to stop it because it's just unfair to leave it hanging like that. I was going to continue, but I just couldn't bring any words to my head for the story. However, I'm going to be creating a new SYOT, I still haven't decided what number Games it's going to be or what it's going to be called. And if you read this SYOT you might see some plots I had going in this one, the ones I'm upset to be giving up on, but also there'll be a lot more added.

It won't be a Quarter Quell, but it will still have a LOT of twists and plots with a very, very unexpected arena (yes, I've already came up with the arena idea, and I'm very excited to use it). Unfortunately, the Head Gamemaker Lilac and the President Black won't be in this SYOT, there will be completely different characters. The Games will be after Katniss' Games. There will be a Reaping chapter for each two Districts, so about six chapters of Reapings. I have planned it all out, just not the date of the Hunger Games yet or the title.

If you are interested in applying for this Games, then feel free to PM me asking for the form. You'll only be allowed to submit one character, but you can submit more than one just in case if I prefer one more than the other. I may will be making a forum for the forms, I don't know yet, but I'll inform you through PM if you ask me for the form.

So, if you do want to be in this new SYOT, then PM me (:

Again, I'm sorry for stopping this story. I hope you understand (:

I promise that the next SYOT will be a lot better :D


End file.
